The Beast Within
by Hung Nguyen
Summary: -R1/2!Darkstalkers!Hellsing- During the last stages of his Nekoken training, Ranma runs away from Genma, and runs into a certain Werewolf from his mother's past. What kinds of new adventures and experiences will Ranma go through in the years to come?
1. Prologue: A Moonlit Encounter

**The Beast Within**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2, Darkstalkers and any other character mentioned in this story belong to their respective creators or are entirely fictitious. 

: Thoughts 

**Prologue**

**A Moonlit Encounter**

From her backyard patio, Nodoka Saotome gazed out at the night sky. It had been a year, since her husband Genma had taken their only child on a training trip. It had been a long and lonely twelve months, with only the occasional letter to comfort her. She had missed her son terribly and recently, she had been wondering if she had been in her right state of mind to let her spouse take her only offspring away from her. The only thing she had to connect her to them, was a piece of paper with Genma's signature and Ranma's handprint. It was a contract that supposed to keep Genma on his best behavior while he raised Ranma, yet Nodoka couldn't help but worry that Genma would fall back to his less than stellar habits, regardless of the Seppuku Contract. 

Early on in their marriage, Ranma's mother had found out that Genma wasn't exactly what one would call a good man. In fact, he barely qualified as a human being. He was greedy and tended to think with his stomach. On several occasions, Nodoka had caught her husband stealing from the family treasures, intending to sell them off for some fast cash. He was quite lazy and was content to leach off the family fortune, instead of going out to get a job. Nodoka had begun wondering why she had even married him. 

With that thought, Nodoka then thought back to the real reason why she had consented to marry Genma. It was because of an encounter some five years ago, with a man named Jon Talbain. At the time, Nodoka had been a young and somewhat wild girl. When she had met the handsome foreigner at her father's dojo, it was love at first sight. He had come in from England to study her father's fighting style and the two had soon begun a romance. He was strong, a talented martial artist and those gray-blue eyes of his, reminded her of a wolf's. His very personality was like that predator, strong, sure and so... feral. 

However, Jon had a few quirks in which Nodoka had found odd. For one thing, he would never take her out on dates during nights of a full moon. He always seemed to be on edge whenever he came near anything that had silver in it. He'd always insist on plastic forks, knives and spoons if there were no chopsticks around. Furthermore, at times he would act as if he were some caged animal; pacing about, looking as if he were being watched. 

Despite his idiosyncrasies, Nodoka and Jon seemed fated to marry. Even her father had approved of him. He had come from a very good and wealthy family. Sadly though, that was not to be. Three months after Jon had come into her life; a terrible accident took her beloved from her. A week before they were about to announce their betrothal to her family, Jon had been aboard a jetliner bound for London when it suddenly exploded in midair. All the passengers and crew had been killed. Jon's fiancée had become heartbroken at the news and had mourned for weeks. 

However, there was another matter that the distraught woman had to consider. A week before Jon had died; Nodoka had learned that she was pregnant. Even in modern Japan, many people still looked down on unmarried mothers and their bastard children. Jon's child would need a father. 

Nodoka's father had pulled in a few favors and contacted a clan, in which they had some ties with her family. With a large dowry being offered, it wasn't long before a suitor was found. The marriage was quickly arranged and she became Mrs. Genma Saotome. They had not told the Saotomes that Nodoka was already pregnant and when Ranma was born, everyone naturally assumed that he was Genma and Nodoka's child. Only his mother and her family knew the real truth. 

As Genma's wife brought her thoughts back to the present, she wondered just what Ranma and Genma were doing now. 

She wasn't the only one... 

---------- 

Somewhere in Japan, in the forests near Hiroshima... 

A feral figure raced though the forests with inhuman speed and agility. The deer it was chasing had no chance of escaping. Within seconds, the hunter had caught up to its prey and ended the chase, as it brought down a set of razor-sharp teeth and powerful jaws onto the deer's neck and twisted. The neck of the dear snapped in two, causing instant death and the predator then settled down to eat its kill. 

The predator was unlike anything that could be found in nature. It seemed to resemble the timber wolves of Alaska, but it larger, far larger. Its general form was bipedal, but was covered in dense, grayish fur with white highlights. Its form was powerfully built and steeped in magical energies. It sported a pair of loose, faded pants and near the small of its back, protruded a thick bushy tail. Its head was shaped to that of a wolf's, but its eyes seemed to reflect a kind of human quality. The front limbs were lightly furred, and on each paw, or rather hand; it sported a set of wicked-looking claws. Its lower limbs had elongated feet that terminated into canine toes. Before setting down to dine on the deer that it had just killed, the beast let off a howl to the full moon above. This was a werewolf, and not just any werewolf. This was Ranma's biological father, Jon Talbain! 

Contrary to the reports, Talbain had not perished when that jetliner had exploded. Only the purity of silver or certain magical spells and attacks could fatally harm him. The curse of lycanthropy had been passed down throughout his family's bloodlines since ancient times, making him a member of the Old Races. Another general term for him was Darkstalker. 

Jon had always felt out of place as a werewolf in modern times, but he and his family had gradually integrated into human society, keeping their lupine heritage a closely guarded family secret. The lycanthropy gene in their DNA was always carried over to the male members of their family tree, though it could also be passed through a bite. Due to this danger of accidental infection, all members of the Talbain family that became werewolves were required to wear magical talismans to keep that part of their curse in check. 

The power that was granted to them through their wolf heritage made the Talbains extraordinary fighters and many had taken up the martial arts. Jon had come to Nodoka's family to learn their techniques. It was there that he had met and fallen in love with the daughter of the dojo's master. He had been all set to marry her and reveal his family's secret. However, after the plane explosion, he knew that he could never see her again, without revealing to the world as to how he had survived. Jon later learned that Nodoka had married and had decided that it was for the best. Since then, he had been traveling the world, improving on his martial arts skills. 

As the wolf-man dined on the freshly killed deer, his thoughts were of his lost love and he began wondering just what their children would have been like. 

---------- 

Hiroshima... 

"Now get in there and learn the Cat Fist!" Genma said as he shoved his son into the pit and covered the opening with a heavy lid. He looked about and nodded, as he detected no sign of anyone nearby. His decision to have the boy do the training at night seemed to be the best way to avoid any further entanglements with the law. He had already accumulated a sizeable amount of outstanding warrants for breaking and entry, assault and petty theft. Half the cats in that pit had been family pets, in which Genma had (ahem), borrowed from nearby houses. 

Six-year-old Ranma plummeted to the bottom of the deep depression and landed hard on his rear. In an instant, he heard the yowling and hissing of dozens of hungry cats as they swarmed toward him like a school of piranha. The boy began screaming as sharp claws and teeth began ripping into his flesh. The felines had not been fed for over two weeks and they would tear the boy to pieces in order to sate their hunger. The smell of fish drove them to sheer madness as the cats began piling onto the boy. 

Ranma screamed out in pain and horror as the felines continued to tear into him. Little by little, he began to feel his hold on reality slip away. He looked up at the lid, which covered the pit and saw that a minute shaft of light was filtering through a crack. His arms reached out toward it, like a drowning man grasping at a life preserver. The light seemed so warm and inviting and he felt himself drawn toward it as the cats smothered him in a sea of fur. 

Deep within the small boy, something had begun to stir. A reaction of both biological and magical properties had begun, as the tiny sliver of moonlight started to give the boy a newfound strength. The weight of the cats seemed to lessen and he could no longer feel their claws and teeth biting into his skin. In fact, they had begun to shy away from him. 

The sensation within Ranma increased geometrically as a kind of rage toward the felines suddenly appeared. Then, it happened... 

---------- 

"_AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_" 

Genma was startled off his perch on the lid when he heard that beastly howl and wondered just what was going on down in the pit. Then his blood went cold as he heard a feral snarl and the sounds of rending flesh and screeching cats. Then suddenly, the lid exploded into a shower of splinters as something shot out of the pit and bolted from the site. 

Genma shook his head to clear it and crawled toward the pit. His nose wrinkled, as he smelled the waste in which the cats had accumulated from being starved. However, there was another scent that was even more overpowering. When he looked down with a flashlight into the pit, he felt a need to hurl. Scattered along the floor of the pit were the mauled remains of the cats. Not a single one of them was alive. Several of them had been torn into unidentifiable chunks. The entire pit had been converted into a slaughterhouse. However, the most important detail was that the Cat Fist trainee was gone. 

"Ranma?" 

---------- 

Jon Talbain lifted his head when his sensitive nose caught the scent of something... no, someone that was nearby. He also caught a few other scents that were overlapping the main one. He detected the odor or organic waste, some fish, feline fur and most importantly, blood. Then he began concentrating on the main scent and noted that his magical senses were also picking up something that was very similar to his own aura. That was when something burst into the clearing. 

Father and son confronted each other for the first time. 

The older werewolf immediately recognized the faint aura of Nodoka as well as her scent on the feral child. He also detected some similarities in Ranma's personal aura as compared to his own. Was it possible? Then Talbain realized that there was no other explanation. After all, his werewolf gene would have been passed onto all of his male descendants so therefore, this boy... was _HIS_ son. 

Ranma the Werewolf crouched down low as he prepared to attack. He was only three-tenths the size of his opponent and Jon outmassed him by more than triple. However, with the emergence of his lupine heritage, the boy was running on pure instinct. His hybrid form was colored black with a few silver highlights to the face, ears, hands and feet. A bushy tail had sprouted and was hanging over the pants' waistband. His gi top had several shred marks and was close to bursting at the seams, due to the added muscle mass. However, there were still some tufts of baby fur near his ears and cheeks, like a newborn puppy. He would not be fully defined until his teens. His enhanced hearing and sense of smell were on the alert. His night vision was excellent and though he didn't have the raw power or skill of his sire, his hybrid form strong enough to rip a normal adult to pieces. He continued to growl and snarl at his father as he was unsure what to do. 

Jon Talbain decided to take a neutral posture as he extended one arm in a non-threatening manner. Then he uttered one word. 

"Son?" 

To be continued? 


	2. Chapter 1: Wild Spirit

****

The Beast Within

Disclaimer: I tried getting out, but they keep pulling me back in! Darkstalkers, Hellsing and Ranma 1/2 belong to their own respective creators. 

Thoughts: 

Chapter 1

Wild Spirit

"_AKANE TENDO! I LOVE YOU!_"

"_THIS ONE'S FOR YOU!_"

"_GO OUT WITH ME!_"

****

WHAM! BAM! CRASH! KAPOWIE! WHOMP! CRUNCH!

Nabiki Tendo sighed as she and the rest of the crowds watched her younger sister plow through the usual morning mobs. This was the seventeenth time, since Kuno had made that ridiculous speech about defeating Akane in order to date her. Just who did that pompous wannabe samurai think he was? Everybody knew that he was an idiot, so what did that make all the boys who followed that decree? Was it that forbidden fruit aspect or were they all into masochism? 

Of course, all this action on Akane did nothing but boost her own ego. Though she kept on saying that she hated boys, Nabiki could tell that her sibling enjoyed being the center of attention, plus showing off her skills as a _TRUE_ martial artist. However, to all those watching, it was simply a series of unorganized brawls. That was the only reason why Akane could hold out against so many. That and the fact that Kuno always held back. 

All the other girls at school found themselves without any prospects for Friday and Saturday nights. Every boy was after Nabiki's sister and this had caused many to resent her. One simple wish shared by all was to meet someone who _WASN'T_ interested in that violent maniac! 

As if by magic, their wish was answered as a stranger came in view as he approached the school. He was about 5'10" and had a build that was like a well-trained gymnast's. He wore a pair of blue jeans, hi-tops, black shirt and matching black leather jacket. Over his forehead was a red headband with the symbol of Yin/Yang imprinted over the black silhouette of a wolf. His raven black hair was long and reached down to his midback. It was loosely tied up in a long ponytail and if one looked closely enough, one could see a streak of silver running down its length. His eyes were colored the most interesting shade of blue, as if resembling that of a wolf's. Over his shoulder was a bookbag. 

The newcomer casually disregarded the chaos that was occurring in the schoolyard as he simply walked toward the front doors. However, just as he was halfway across the schoolyard, a couple of dimwits who were part of the Akane Lovers club, decided to attack the student on the basis that he MIGHT become competition. (Go figure, but then again, these dopes aren't famous for their collective IQ ratings). 

However, just as they began charging him, the newcomer simply let off a low growl, then... reacted. His two assailants didn't even know what hit them as they were sent sailing backward. They collided into another part of the mob, flattening them and sending them all into unconsciousness. This immediately caught everyone else's attention as the stranger stood in a ready form with his right hand thrust out with fingers curled like claws. Then he simply said... 

"Wolf Fang Fist." 

Then he lowered his hand and continued walking forward. 

However, this affront was not going to go unpunished. The other members of Team Hentai decided to momentarily hold off their assault on Akane and charged toward the outsider. This would prove to be a big mistake as the person growled again, as he dropped his bookbag. 

"Wolf bares his fangs against pack of jackals." 

The Horde of Hentai was then introduced to a new level of pain. Moving with a kind of speed and agility that could only be described as inhuman, the stranger began taking his attackers apart. Using techniques that resembled Kung Fu and Wu Shu, yet mixing in various other styles including Kempo, Jeet Kwon Do, Karate, Jujitsu, American Boxing, and some very mean street fighting moves, the new guy tore through the relatively unorganized ranks like he was shredding tissue paper. Even the so-called Best Martial Artist in Nerima found herself in a state of shock at the brutal display. She was also a bit ticked off at being suddenly ignored. 

After knocking out the majority of the mobs in far less time than Akane could have ever done, the newcomer was bathed in a bright flash of light as his aura flared and surrounded him. In one fast charge, he let off a shrill howl that sounded like a wolf's and shot forward like a comet. The remaining attackers went down like bowling pins. (1) 

When the carnage was over, the stranger stood alone on a landscape of bruised and moaning figures. He gave his opponents a nod, picked up his bookbag, and then casually resumed his walk toward the front doors. 

"_HEY YOU!_" 

The fighter stopped, but didn't turn around at the sound of Akane's indignant voice. 

"_HEY! I'M TALKING TO YOU!_" 

The object of Akane's temper shrugged as he turned around to face an extremely short-tempered daughter of Soun Tendo. 

The young warrior's expression did not change as he replied in a simple tone. "Yes?" 

"That was my fight, you jerk!" _Stupid boy! He's probably a pervert like all the others!_ She glared up at him, ready to pound him into the pavement at the slightest provocation. 

The newcomer glared down at Akane for a while, not saying anything, then decided that she wasn't worth wasting time on. Without a single word, he simply turned his back to her and continued on his way. 

"_HEY! DON'T YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!_" Akane was getting even more steamed. First this jerk interferes in _HER_ fight, then he had the nerve to ignore her! She was just about to go up and throw a punch at his head, but that was when a wooden sword was suddenly thrust out in front of the newcomer, blocking his path. 

The stranger growled at being stopped, then looked over to one side to see someone who looked slightly older than he was, dressed in samurai robes and holding the bokken that was blocking his way. 

"Hold knave!" 

The stranger said nothing as he waited for the pompous person to step out from his place behind a tree. 

"How dare you _NOT_ give the beauteous Akane Tendo your full attention! I shall not allow this insult to go unpunished! As heaven is my witness, I shall..." 

"Skip it." The fighter growled. 

"What?" 

The stranger took a more dangerous, feral look as he dropped his bookbag to the ground. "I said, skip it. I didn't feel like talking to her, and I sure as Hell don't feel like listening to your babble. You want to fight? Then do so. Otherwise, stop wasting my time. I don't want to come in late on my first day." 

"As you wish!" The haughty person with the stick said as he stepped out and backed off a bit to give himself a wide berth from the fool that dared to challenge him. "But is it not customary to give one's own name first? Very well then! Mine I will give!" He took on a dramatic pose. "I am the captain of this school's Kendo Club! The rising new star of the high school fencing world! My name causes fear in all those who oppose me! I am..." 

****

WHOMP! 

Tatewaki Kuno doubled over when his opponent suddenly blurred forward and slammed a fist into his solar plexus. This drove the breath out of him and before he could recover, the fighter then spun about and landed a hard backfist to the jaw, sending him flying backward at least a dozen feet. 

Kuno gagged and coughed a bit as he glared up at him. "Ack... how dare you strike so..." 

"I already said that I didn't want to hear your babbling!" The wolf warrior growled. "Talk's cheap and it's a distraction. Do it _AFTER_ you've beaten your opponent!" With those words, he went into a kind of hunched over stance, like a beast that was ready to spring. 

Kuno smirked as he assumed that the newcomer had only gotten in a lucky strike, since he attacked so cowardly. He got up and assumed a ready stance with his sword held out. "Very well cur. Since you are too crude to appreciate the fine art of verbal introduction, I shall instead introduce you to the power that is the Blue Thunder! Like the fury of heaven, I shall..." 

"I...(_**WHAM**_) said...(_**BAM**_) talk... (**_WHOMP_**) after... (**_WHAM_**) the...(_**WHAM**_) _FIGHT_! (_**WHAMMO**_)" 

The kendoist was sent flying back once again as the wolf warrior let loose with another series of attacks that were almost too fast for the human eye to follow. 

---------- 

From her window on the second floor, Nabiki watched the stranger with interest. It was clear to her that he wasn't using anywhere near his full strength against his opponent, considering how easily he took out Akane's admirers. His style was brutal, yet extremely efficient. He didn't mince words; he got straight to the point. She sighed as she watched Kuno stubbornly get back on his feet. 

_Hmmm, I guess all those hits from Akane must have made Kuno-baby more resistant to pain than usual. Then again, it's not like there's anything to damage when you hit his head._

---------- 

"I... fight... on!" Kuno gasped, as he was barely conscious. 

His opponent however, snorted as he replied. "Not after this. _WOLF PACK ATTACK!_ (2)" 

To everyone's astonishment, the newcomer blurred forward and circled his adversary, raining high-speed punches, kicks and swipes. Kuno's body jerked and twitched as each hit struck home. Afterimages of the stranger appeared about the kenodist and some spectators could swear that they were seeing ghostly images of wolves tearing into Kuno. 

As quickly as the attack had begun, it ended as the outsider finished off the technique with an uppercut. This sent Kuno flying and slammed him against the tree that he had been hiding behind. He slumped down into unconsciousness. His entire body had bruises and small cuts, as if a wild beast had decided to make him its scratching post. His robes were torn and had holes like Swiss cheese. His bokken was now just a pile of kindling. 

The wolf fighter nodded as he picked up his bookbag again then headed toward the front doors of the school. When he neared the crowds, everyone backed off, giving him a wide berth. 

---------- 

Akane stood in total disbelief. That... boy had taken Kuno apart like he was nothing. 

_No way! **NOBODY COULD BE THAT GOOD!** He couldn't be!_ Then another thought entered her head, which she quickly began denying. _No! He can't be better than me!_

It was then that it started raining as the late bell sounded. 

---------- 

Somewhere else... 

In their rented apartment, Johnny Talbane (3) wondered just how his son was doing during his first day at school. 

---------- 

"Well class, I'd like you all to meet a new student at Furinken High. He and his father had just recently come from England. I'd like to introduce our newest foreign exchange student, Matthew Okami Talbane." (4) 

The son of Nodoka and Jon nodded as he waved to his classmates. Near the back, Akane glared at the wolf fighter. She became a bit disgusted at the other girls in her homeroom as they looked on the newcomer with longing expressions. He was just a boy and all boys were perverts! What was so interesting about him? 

The teacher instructed him to take a seat, which was in front of Akane and to the left. As he sat down at his desk, his animal instincts were alerting him that hostile emotions were being directed at him. However, the danger levels that they represented were of no consequence to him, so he simply ignored them. 

---------- 

Later on... 

As always, Nabiki wanted to get the scoop on all the new people at Furinken. A foreign exchange student usually generated interest among the student body. 

She turned to one of her lackeys, who had a file in her hands. "Okay, give me the lowdown on this Matthew Talbane." 

Yuka nodded as she read the file. "He's from England, but it says here that he's part-Japanese on his mother's side. Mother's name is unknown. He's been in America, and a few other places with his father, Johnny Talbane. He's won quite a few junior division martial arts tournaments before he was twelve, including Karate, Kung Fu, and Tae Kwon Do. He's here on a special visa to learn about his Japanese heritage." 

"And...?" 

"And that's about it." Yuka said as she closed the folder. 

"That's it? That's all you could dig up on him?" 

Yuka shrugged. "There wasn't much in the school records that I could get a hold of." 

"There's got to be more." 

Yuka shook her head. "Well, there isn't. The usual information sources didn't have that much to add about him. He's had no run-ins with the law, there isn't anything in terms of dirt about him, or anything else. He's clean as far as I can tell." 

Nabiki didn't buy it. Everyone had secrets. After seeing the display of fighting prowess this morning, she knew that Matthew represented some definite possibilities. The fact that he was not interested in Akane in the slightest, was also a bonus. 

---------- 

Meanwhile, at the Tendo Dojo... 

Soun Tendo became ecstatic as he held a message that he had received a few days ago. It was from his dear old friend and training colleague, Genma. On the postcard were the words, 'Bringing Ranma in a few days.' 

The Tendo Patriarch had just received a phone call from his old friend and had been told that Genma and his son would arrive sometime tomorrow. He couldn't wait. Soon the pledge to unite the schools of the Anything Goes would be fulfilled! 

---------- 

Noon... 

Matthew sighed as he ate his lunch. Though several girls had approached him during the lunch hour, and many had asked if he was free tonight, he had to turn them all down. Though his father did encourage his son to make friends, the next three nights was not a good time to do so. It was the time of the full moon. 

As he continued to eat, he didn't notice that a certain someone was still a bit miffed at his interference this morning. Akane snorted a bit as she glared at the wolf warrior. Beside her was Nabiki. 

"Hmpf! Just look at that womanizing pervert!" 

Nabiki shook her head. "Oh come on now, Akane. Just because a few girls have been trying to ask him out on a date, doesn't automatically make him a pervert." 

"Hmpf! All boys are perverts! I bet he can't wait to get into their panties!" 

"Are you sure that you're not just jealous of all the attention he's getting?" Akane's sister suggested in a slightly teasing tone. She knew that Akane liked to be the center of attention, despite her hatred of boys. Due to Kuno's idiotic declaration, nearly all the boys in school were after her. It had been refreshing to see Matthew flatly disregard her spoiled little sister. 

"Hmpf! What's there for me to be jealous of? He just got lucky against Kuno. I could beat him!" 

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Akane." Nabiki warned. "He took out Kuno like he was nothing. From what I've been able to dig up about him, he's won several junior martial arts tournaments." 

"So he's won a few contests, big deal! That doesn't mean anything against a true martial artist! I can still beat him! I'm best fighter in Nerima!" 

Nabiki sighed. All of those battles with the Horde of Hentai and Kuno had done nothing but feed Akane's ego, making her feel unbeatable. A part of the middle sister wanted to see Akane meet her match and maybe take her down a few pegs, and she had a feeling that Matthew just might be the one to do it. 

---------- 

As school ended and the sun began to set, Matthew hurried home. He didn't want to be caught outside when the full moon appeared. Normally, he had full control over his bestial tendencies, but under the light of the full moon, the beast within would emerge. As the sky began to grow dark, his pace quickened. Then suddenly, he heard a gunshot in the distance. Though he was more than eight blocks away, his sensitive hearing picked up the noise as if he were right there. Though he knew that he had to get home, his curiosity got the better of him and he went to investigate. Leaping upwards to a rooftop more than thirty-five feet above the street, Matthew began racing towards the disturbance. 

---------- 

"In and out in ten minutes!" A man in combat uniform barked as he directed a group of armed men into a warehouse near the harbor. Among the group was a slender blonde girl of about nineteen years of age. Unlike her comrades, she was dressed in a kind of blue uniform with a skirt that showed off her legs. However, what was most intriguing about her was that her eyes were colored blood red, and that she was hefting a weapon that outweighed her by forty pounds! It resembled a miniature field artillery piece, though the girl was handling it as if it weighed less than nothing. 

"Sir! I'm going to take point with the C Team!" Seras Victoria declared as she saluted her commanding officer.

The older man nodded. "Take care, Victoria. Initial reports say that there are at least forty or so ghouls inside, and who knows how many more victims that need to be... taken care of." 

Seras nodded. Though she was now a vampire, she still felt sorry for those who were infected by the neo-bloodsuckers, who had been appearing lately. The victims could not be saved and the only thing she could offer was eternal peace by destroying them. That was one of the downsides of being part of the Hellsing Organization. 

---------- 

Matthew bounded from rooftop to rooftop, straining a bit to hold in his inner nature, as the full moon was about to make its regular rise into the sky. His sensitive sense of smell then picked up the stagnant odor of spilled blood and he knew that he was getting close. As he caught sight of the warehouse, his night vision came into play. He then went through an open window on the opposite side to where the Hellsing operatives were entering. Landing on an upper tier, he looked about and tensed up. 

---------- 

"Up there!" Someone shouted as he saw a dark shadow racing above them.

Just as they were about to open fire, a series of inhuman shouts were heard and several figures appeared from various hiding places behind some crates. The Hellsing operatives soon found themselves surrounded by a horde of ghouls. The monsters then began attacking them.

The entire warehouse became a bloody battlefield as gunfire resonated throughout the building. Many of ghouls were cut down in seconds, but more kept on coming as the human fighters found themselves boxed in. 

Seras gritted her slightly fanged teeth as she fired off several rounds of her weapon, reducing several of the walking corpses into ash. The heavy smell of blood was making her vampire tendencies grow even stronger and she hoped that this would end soon, before she gave in to those urges. However, the team was being pushed back and was about to be overwhelmed. Then she heard a most... blood-curdling howl as a dark shadow dropped in from above and tore into the ranks of their undead adversaries. 

---------- 

Matthew's bestial nature could no longer be denied as he saw the ghouls attack the humans. Leaping down from the rafters, his ki exploded forth as he landed and charged forward. Using his father's signature move, the Beast Cannon, he reduced several of the animated cadavers into piles of rotting body parts. Then, reaching behind his back, he withdrew a pair of nunchakus that had been stored on a secret holster. Swinging it about, he spilt open several of the ghouls' heads like rotten melons. Using all of the combat skills learned from his father; the son of Jon Talbain gave the Hellsing fighters the reprieve they needed and the tide of battle turned. In two minutes, the gunfire ceased as the last of the undead opposition was dispatched. Then their guns were trained on their unexpected savior. 

As he still was partially obscured from sight, due to a large shadow being cast by a pile of crates, Matthew knew that he could not hold off his animalistic transformation for much longer. Holding an arm up to cover his face, he spoke to the humans in a low, guttural voice. 

"Please! Go now! I have no desire... for you to remain here!" 

"Who are you?" Seras demanded as she held out her weapon. 

At that moment, she felt a bit of a chill as another shadow behind her started to rise. She glanced over her shoulder and nodded as she knew just what... or rather who, had just arrived. 

"Master." 

The vampire known as Alucard nodded, as he became fully visible. As always, he was dressed in his standard garb of a red trenchcoat, vest, dress pants, hat and circular orange shades. He grinned at Matthew, showing off prominent canines. "Well, well, well. And who might you be, stranger?" The bloodsucker inquired. 

"None of your business... Vampire!" Matthew growled. He knew all about vampires. His father had told him about his own encounters with a certain fanged noble, named Dimitri Maximov. 

"Well now, you seem to have me at a disadvantage." Alucard remarked. "You know what I am, but I still do not know what _YOU_ are. Why don't you come into the light and let me see you?" 

Matthew decided that there was no use of hiding any longer. The full moon had reached its zenith, and the transformation was beginning. "Very well, though I warn you. Don't get any ideas! You wouldn't want to drink _MY_ blood!" 

Matthew then stepped into the light and let his transformation occur. 

The Hellsing group became shocked, as Matthew became taller and furry. His face extended forward to form a wolf-like head with very sharp fangs. His body became more muscular and his hands became clawed. A bushy black tail sprouted from the small of his back and his feet also became clawed. His clothes shredded themselves, leaving him dressed only in his loose-fitting pants. When the transformation completed itself, what stood in Matthew's place was a 6' 3" tall werewolf, covered in black fur with silver highlights. 

Alucard gazed on the now transformed fighter for a long while, then nodded. "You were right. I wouldn't want to drink your blood. Vampires never did care for the taste of werewolves." When several of the Hellsing fighters were about to open fire, the vampire waved them off. "Let him go" 

"Master?" Seras asked. 

"He was not part of the ghouls, and he has committed no crime here, Police Girl." Alucard said, then turned to Matthew. "You... look familiar, werewolf. You bear a striking resemblance to a man I once knew. His name was Jon Talbain. Are you related to him, by any chance?" 

"You knew my father?" Matthew said in surprise. 

"Ah, so you are his son, eh? I should have guessed." 

At that moment, police sirens were heard in the distance. Matthew took the opportunity to bound up towards an open window and escape. At the same time, the Hellsing operatives began to process of cleaning up and covering up the incident. 

---------- 

Later that night, at Hellsing HQ... 

"Talbain? Are you certain, Alucard?" Sir Integra asked as she had just finished with the debriefing with the vampire. 

"The young one admitted that he was the son of my old... acquaintance." The vampire reported. "It was just a few weeks after you had awakened me. I had a little skirmish in Transylvania with another true vampire named Maximov."

Integra nodded as the Hellsing Organization had extensive files on all known Darkstalkers. "I thought that the last of the Talbain line had died sixteen years ago." 

"Now you should know better, Sir Integra." The bloodsucker reminded. "It would take more than an exploding plane to destroy a werewolf, and the Talbain line is among the strongest of all lycanthrope clans." 

"So... should we consider him and his son as the enemy?" 

Alucard paused for a moment, then replied. "As far as I know, the Talbain family has never violated any _HUMAN_ laws, though I would suggest that we keep them under surveillance. Most likely, whoever had begun creating ghouls in Japan, may hold a bit of a grudge against the actions of Jon's son." 

---------- 

Speaking of whom... 

"You're late, son." The elder werewolf said as he watched his offspring enter their apartment through an open skylight. 

"I... couldn't help it, Dad." Matthew replied. "I ran into some... trouble." 

"You can tell me about it along the way. Oh yes, you also forgot to take this." He held up a small pendant that was gold-colored and was shaped like a wolf's head. "Did you bite anyone?" 

"No." His son replied as he took the pendant and hung it around his neck. "I ran into some ghouls and a vampire, but I don't think they'd be affected if I did bite them." 

Jon gazed upon his son for a long time, then nodded. "As I said before, you tell me about it later. Now come!" 

The younger wolf fighter nodded as he followed his sire out into the night. Of all the training sessions that he had undergone since reuniting with his true father, this was his favorite time of the month. Under the light of the full moon, his powers were at their peak, and he was allowed to fully cut loose. He gave the small amulet around his neck a reassuring squeeze as he and his father raced across the rooftops, sometimes clearing them in just one leap. 

---------- 

Hellsing HQ in Tokyo... 

"Master... who was he?" Seras asked as she sat down to consume her nightly meal, which consisted of a bowl of Type O blood. Though she was still somewhat squeamish about drinking blood, she had recently accepted the fact that she needed it, or else her powers and abilities would diminish. 

Beside her, Alucard replied. "I've never met that particular werewolf before tonight, but I am very familiar with his father, Jon Talbain. He was a great fighter and he was a good ally against another vampire that I had encountered." 

"Another vampire?" Seras inquired. 

"Not like the cheap Freak vampires we've been dealing with. Dimitri Maximov was one of the last of the vampire nobles." 

"Vampire nobles?" 

"Yes. He was quite formidable. However, with some help from Talbain, I eventually triumphed over him. I haven't seen Maximov since then." 

---------- 

In a forest near the outskirts of Tokyo... 

"Dad? Did you ever meet up with any other vampires, besides Maximov?" Matthew asked as he threw several slashes and punches at his father. 

"A few." Jon replied as he countered his son's attacks. "Before I found you, I do remember a vampire by the name of Alucard. He was powerful, and he and I formed a temporary alliance during my last encounter with the vampire noble Maximov. From what I learned, he was in the service of a human organization called Hellsing. Why do you ask?" 

"The vampire I met tonight said that he knew you. He also had another vampire with him. It was a girl." 

Jon thought for a moment, then said, "I don't recall Alucard ever mentioning that he had any offspring. Most likely that girl was transformed and is now his apprentice or lover." 

"He turned her into a vampire?" 

"Before you judge him, son, let me tell you that Alucard does not turn just anyone into a vampire. He's got a very high, though somewhat skewered code of honor. He also serves a human group, though I'm not certain why. Usually, when people become vampires by his bite, it is of their own free will." 

"So... you're saying that she chose to be one?" 

"It's a possibility." 

The two continued to exchange punches and kicks as the training continued. 

---------- 

Tokyo Bay...

A lone figure stood at one of the piers and looked up at the full moon. He wore an elaborate outfit which seemed to date back during the Middle Ages. He was garbed in a fancy vest with blood-red lapels and dark matching pants. His sleeves were ruffled at the cuffs and over his shoulders was a dark, ebony cape. His face resembled that of the European aristocrats, but his hair was slicked back to a point and his eyes reflected an inhuman cruelty. 

_At last! After ten years, I shall finally have my revenge on the two who had defeated me! Jon Talbain... Alucard... I am coming for you! But first... I must feed!_

An eerie fog suddenly washed over the waters as Dimitri Maximov suddenly disappeared from sight. A moment later, the sound of leathery wings was heard as a large bat flew toward the city. 

---------- 

The Tendo residence, a little later... 

Kasumi awoke with a start as she had suddenly felt a chill run through her very being. She looked about and saw that there was nothing out of the ordinary. Then she decided to look out her open window. 

---------- 

Standing on a rooftop opposite from the Tendo home, Dimitri smiled as he used his hypnotic gaze to entrance the young woman in the window. It was time to sate his hunger! 

As soon as he had made eye contact with Soun's daughter, he asserted his will over her. He encountered some formidable mental resistance, which was a bit surprising as Kasumi seemed so innocent and unassuming. However, he would not be denied and she eventually fell beneath his spell. He smiled, displaying oversized canines as he watched Kasumi leave her room. 

---------- 

Kasumi's soul screamed in silence as her body moved as if it was being controlled by someone else, (which in fact it was). She had just glanced out the window and saw a dark figure standing on a rooftop opposite to hers, and she suddenly felt as if someone's hands were forcefully guiding her arms and legs. She tried to resist, but the presence was overwhelming and she soon found herself moving as if sleepwalking, yet she was wide awake. Her mind had become separated from the controls of her body and was only coming along for the ride. 

The eldest daughter of Soun Tendo tried to find her voice, to awaken her family, but her throat felt as if it was weighted down and being choked. Her vocal cords were as paralyzed as her will to resist. Her body was rebelling and she had no way of stopping it. She saw herself walking down the stairs and heading out toward the door and she had no idea why, except for the feeling that if she went out, she would never be able to return. 

---------- 

"That was a good workout, son." Jon remarked as he and his offspring was heading back to their apartment via hopping rooftops. 

Matthew nodded. "Yeah. Hey Dad?" 

"Yes?" 

"Do you think... we could see Mom?" 

The older werewolf felt a pang of regret as he thought about Nodoka, whom he hadn't seen in over sixteen years. He had missed her terribly and only the company of his son had eased his loneliness over the last decade. He gave off a long sigh and shook his head. "I'd love to see her again, even more than you want to. However... I can't. It would be too difficult to explain to her how I survived that plane explosion, without telling her about our familys... secret. As far as everyone is concerned Jon Talbain died long ago." 

Matthew became very disappointed. For some time now, he had been despairing over the fact that he may never be able to see his mother again. The very gift that gave his family power, was also a curse. 

Suddenly, his father stopped in his tracks as his ears perked up and his nostrils began flaring. He looked about as his enhanced senses began pinpointing the source of the disturbance. In addition to his acute senses of smell, taste, hearing and night vision, Matthew's father also possessed an affinity for detecting things of a supernatural nature. What he was sensing now made him tremble slightly. It was an evil presence that he had not felt in over ten years. 

"Dad?" 

Motioning for his offspring to follow him, Jon bounded off in a new direction. 

---------- 

Kasumi now found herself walking out in the moonlight as she passed the outer wall of the Tendo compound. She felt as if her entire body did not belong to her as it continued to move on its own. Her inner self continued to scream in protest, but she was still unable to stop herself. Finally, she stood in the middle of the darkened street, barefoot and in her nightgown, as if waiting for something or someone. 

---------- 

Dimitri smiled as he gazed upon his intended victim. The girl had shown remarkably strong will, and it had taken a while for her to succumb to his spell of entrancement. However, now that she was far enough away from anyone who could possibly interfere, it was time for the vampire lord to feast! The fanged noble ran his tongue across one of his enlarged canines in anticipation. Soun Tendo's daughter radiated pure innocence and that made the blood in her veins even more delectable. 

In a cloud of mist, the bloodsucker disappeared from the rooftop, only to reappear a dozen feet from where Kasumi stood. To her, he appeared as if he was completely composed of shadows, except for his two, glowing red eyes. With slow measured steps, he approached her. His dark cape wafted behind him as he towered over the slender girl. When he stood before her, he raised one arm and let it encircle her, along with one side of his cape. Drawing her against his chest, Kasumi's head tilted to one side, exposing her white throat. Lowering his fangs toward her neck, his hot breath warmed her pale skin, as he was about to pierce 

At that moment, an eerie howl was heard, causing Dimitri to be distracted and lose control of his hold over Kasumi. The girl began to stir from her semi-conscious state. He looked up at a nearby rooftop and saw him. 

"_YOU!_" The vampire cried out as he recognized his old enemy. 

"It's been quite a while Bloodsucker!" Talban growled as he jumped down from the roof to land some twenty meters from him and his intended victim. 

Holding Kasumi in a very powerful grip, Dimitri faced off against the head of the Talbain clan. "You dare to interrupt me, during my supper?" 

"We still have a score to settle, vampire! Let her go!" Talbain growled as he reached behind him and took out his nunchakus. Swinging it about in a casual way, he took a stance with his weapon held out before him. 

Dimitri smiled as he gazed upon his adversary. "Indeed we do have some unfinished business. That was the reason why I came to Japan. I still must pay you and that traitor Alucard back for that time ten years ago. First, I'll have a little bite and then we shall begin." 

By that time, Kasumi had gained full control of her body and let off a scream. Just as Dimitri was about to sink his fangs into her neck, a black blur suddenly shot forward from the shadows, and slammed a foot into the bloodsucker's head. The surprise attacked knocked the vampire off balance and made him lose his hold on Kasumi. As Dimitri was sent flying back, Kasumi's legs gave out from under her, weak from just being released from the fanged noble's spell. However, a pair of muscular, furry arms caught her before she hit the pavement. 

Furry? 

When she looked up to gaze upon the face of her savior, she let off a gasp. Finally the strain of what was occurring overwhelmed her and she fainted. It was just as well that she was no longer conscious as two Darkstalkers began attacking each other, while the third watched. 

Dimitri let off an enraged shout as he suddenly levitated high above the street and let loose with a fireball. 

"_CHAOS FLARE!_" 

However, Jon was long since experienced with such techniques and dodged the blast. Charging up his own inner power, he retaliated with a somersault kick, his foot glowing with a blue light. 

"_CLIMB RAZOR!_" 

The kick connected with the vampire's chin, knocking him down as the werewolf charged forward like a comet, letting off a blood-curdling howl. Dimitri was slammed down as Jon's Beast Cannon caught him in midair. 

The vampire grunted a bit as he got back to his feet. Panting slightly, he glared at his opponent. "You will pay for that Talbain." 

"I doubt it." Jon gritted as he twirled his nunchakus. Both he and his son carried the chained batons, and both weapons had undergone several mystic enchantments to deal with supernatural adversaries. 

Both fighters then began exchanging blows with each other at speeds that could only be described as inhuman. However, Talbain was the more seasoned battler when it came to close combat. Several hits from his nunchakus managed to land and this forced Dimitri to back off. The bloodsucker hissed as he noted that several burn marks were appearing on his skin. The blessed wood of the nunchakus was having an effect on him. 

Dimitri glanced over to where Matthew was standing, then addressed his old nemesis. "I do not know who he is, Talbain, but both you and he will not be able to stand up against me! You do not have that filthy traitor Alucard to help you _THIS_ time!" 

"I don't need Alucard this time tonight." Jon said simply as he then put his weapon away. 

"And why not?" Dimitri inquired, thinking Talbain as a fool. 

The werewolf shrugged. "Because, unlike vampires, we werewolves are _NOT_ afraid of the sunrise." 

The vampire lord's eyes widened as he saw the first rays of the morning sun begin to peak over the horizon. He realized that in his desire to destroy Talbain, he had forgotten the fact that sunrise came much earlier in Japan, than in Transylvania. 

"We shall meet again, Talbain!" Dimitri instantly transformed as a bat and flew off. 

Matthew was about to chase after the winged rat, but his father called out to him. 

"Let him go, son." 

"Huh?" 

"We have more important things to take of." The elder werewolf pointed to the girl in his son's arms. 

---------- 

Morning 

Kasumi awoke in her bedroom and shook her head, as if awakening from a long nightmare. One hand immediately went to her throat and she let off a sigh of relief, as she felt nothing. Looked about and noted that her room was exactly the way it was the previous night. However, just as she was about to dismiss the entire ordeal as a bad dream, she noticed that something was hanging on her windowsill. She got up and walked over to it. Reaching out with her right hand, she plucked a small piece of black fur which looked like it had belonged to a dog or a wolf. 

To be continued? 

While working on Cat Fist Fury, I got inspired to write a bit more of this fic, (also after playing Marvel Vs Capcom 2) Mind you, this is only an idea so please, don't expect it to be updated regularly. Yes, that was Jon's infamous Beast Cannon move, which he had taught to his son during their travels together. It's even more powerful in hybrid form. I liked this attack name when I read about it in Gregg Sharp's fics. Basically, it's a combination of Cologne's Splitting Cat Hairs Technique, coupled with the Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire. Ouch! Well, what do you expect? Jon Talbain is considered dead, so the werewolf had to forge a new identity and a slight name change so there wouldn't be a connection. Not being from Japan, it made sense that Jon would give his son a non-Japanese first name, and the middle name was something Ranma had decided for himself. Naturally the term 'wild horse' doesn't suit him. In any case, I thought that I could try a new approach, instead of using the obvious first name of Okami, (Wild-Wolf). 

Now some people are probably wondering how Ranma/Matthew could so easily accept his condition and not consider himself as a freak. Well, Jon Talbain is a more understanding and sympathetic father figure than Genma was. Back in the original series, Genma was indifferent to his son's problems and suffering, especially when it concerned Jusenkyo. In fact, several times, he had used his son's curse to further his own greed, (the Miss Martial Arts Takeout, manga version, the Picolet Chardin affair, etc.) To Genma, his son was a meal ticket, to bargain with so he could get something without earning it. With Jon Talbain, Ranma grew up with someone who also possessed the curse of lycanthropy, and therefore had someone who understood and supported him. With Genma, Ranma had to deal with his own problems and the ones that Genma had caused. With Jon, Ranma doesn't have to shoulder the entire burden. 


	3. Chapter 2: Bloodlines

**THE BEAST WITHIN**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2, Darkstalkers, Hellsing and any other characters depicted in this work of fiction belong to their own respective creators.

: Thoughts

**Chapter 2**

Bloodlines

"Now Talbane, I shall smite you for your previous insult... _ERK! ACK! GRAGH!_" 

"I told you before, Kuno. I don't care to hear your stupid voice." The wolf warrior stated plainly as he continued to walk toward his first class. Behind him, the so-called Blue Thunder was having some difficulty trying to pull out his bokken after his would-be target had shoved its entire length down his throat. It wasn't long before his face began to turn as blue as his robes. 

The heir to the Talbain line sighed as he entered his oh so boring English class. Like he needed to know how to read, write and speak that language after spending much of his life in England and America. Most of the time during this period, he would simply look out the window and daydream. As he sat down at his desk, his thoughts went back to the events of three nights ago. 

The appearance of two vampires in Tokyo was cause for concern, but neither one of them had been seen since that night. There hadn't been any news of anyone with their blood drained. Either the two bloodsuckers were fasting or their activities had not been detected as of yet. 

At that moment, a familiar hot-headed daughter of Soun Tendo came stomping into the classroom. She gave every boy in the room, and especially Matthew, a murderous glare before sitting down at her desk in a huff. Several of the students that were sitting near her became a bit nervous in their seats. It was normal for her to come in a little late due to her morning fights with the Horde of Hentai and Kuno, but the former Saotome thought that she'd be in early due to the fact that Kuno was probably still busy with trying to remove his bokken. Just then, his sensitive hearing picked up a conversation between Akane and one of her friends Yuka. 

"Geez Akane! You didn't have to go overboard with them. Kuno wasn't even there." 

Akane growled, as she didn't respond to her friend and thought even darker thoughts of what to do against any boy who approached her today. She was in a _VERY_ bad mood and had stomped her admirers extra hard this morning. She had been more than willing to break Kuno in two, but waiting for him to appear had caused her to be late. 

_Sheesh! What's her problem?_ Matthew wondered as he continued to think about what fate had in store for him and his father. 

---------- 

Hellsing HQ in Japan... 

"Are you certain that this all the data about the Talbain family?" Integra asked of her faithful aide. Ever since the Hellsing Organization had faced near total collapse during the Incognito incident, (1) the heir to the world's most ancient order of vampire hunters had been working nonstop to rebuild her ancestors' work. However, now the Hellsing Organization was no longer limited to protecting just the British Empire. Due to the increasing number of Freak Vampires that were appearing worldwide, plus the reported appearance of the vampire noble Demitri Maximof, the newly resurrected Hellsing Organization was becoming a global network. 

Walter nodded as he gave his mistress a slight bow. "Yes, Sir Integra. Currently there are only two known members of that werewolf clan, namely Jon Talbain and his son Matthew. The younger lycanthrope had been born under the name of Ranma Saotome, and his so-called father Genma is currently wanted for several hundred cases of petty theft, breaking and entering and several other minor crimes. He is supposedly a master of the Anything Goes Martial Arts and he is currently living at the Tendo Dojo with..." 

"I am not interested in the history of a common thief." Integra Wingates cut off. "The fact that there have been numerous reports of Freak Vampires in Japan is what concerns me. I am certain that they are connected with the ones we had faced in England. We have been able to cover up these incidents and kept the general population ignorant of these attacks so far, but now that there is a true vampire noble in the vicinity, the stakes have gotten higher. Hellsing is just starting to recover from its losses and we are not yet at our full original strength. We may need the aid of the Talbain werewolves, in order to fight this new outbreak and especially Maximof. The Talbains are a very powerful lycanthrope family, according to Alucard. Their help could tip the odds in our favor." 

---------- 

Later that day... 

"Hey there! How's it going?" 

As the students began filtering out of the school for the day, Matthew turned about to the person who had called out to him. He was a bit surprised to come face to face with Akane's sister. 

Nabiki gave Talbain her best smile as her eyes assessed the tall teen before her. He definitely wasn't starving and there was something about his presence that seemed so... feral. He emitted a kind of subtle, yet strong animal magnetism about him and the middle Tendo daughter wasn't the first to notice it. Several other girls, all of which had no date prospects to speak of during the weekends, (because of the morning fights to date her sister), had been trying to get close to him as well. 

"We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Nabiki Tendo and though I'm a few days late, I'd like to officially welcome you to Furinken High. I can tell that you're going to fit in perfectly here." 

"Uhh... thanks." Matthew replied with a shrug of his shoulders, then turned to head home. "Well, it was nice meeting you and..." 

"Hold on." She placed a hand on his right shoulder and momentarily noted how firm and muscular it was. It wasn't bulky or as broad as a weightlifter's, but it hinted at great inner power, just waiting to be unleashed. The shorthaired girl immediately removed her hand as she realized it was lingering too long and composed herself. "You're in no hurry to get home, are you?"

"Uh, no I'm not." Since the full moon would not occur for another twenty-eight days, Jon Talbain's son didn't have much to worry about. 

"Good. Then you won't mind if I walk home with you? Maybe I can show you around our neighborhood? You're heading toward the West Side of the Nerima district, right?" 

"How did you know?" 

Nabiki smiled again as she and Matthew began walking in that direction. "I've seen you head that way after school every day." (Or rather her flunkies had seen him head that way). "I guess it's just coincidence that my home is in the same direction." 

Though he had heard rumors about the so-called Ice Queen of Furinken and her mercenary ways, the former Saotome decided that it wouldn't hurt to have her walk with him for a while. Making friends was hard as he and his father traveled abroad frequently. With a shrug of his shoulders, and a slight nod of his head, he began heading toward a nearby soda shop to get something to drink before going home. "Sure. Why not? And to repay for your kindness and hospitality, how about I treat you to a root beer float?" He offered one arm out to her. 

Nabiki smiled and nodded. This would be a good opportunity to learn more about him. Also, this was the absolute first time a boy had asked to treat her to anything without being coerced into doing so. In a way, his simple invitation had asserted her self-confidence as a female. Lately, every boy in school was after her little sister and money was poor company on those lonely Saturday nights. She could go on shopping sprees, but what was the point of buying beautiful clothes if there was no one to impress them with other than her family? 

It also didn't hurt that Matthew was cute in a kind of lupine way. His eyes reminded her of a wolf's and she found herself unable to keep her gaze from going back to those blue-gray depths. Slowly, she took his offered arm and in a slightly shy fashion, (though she wouldn't admit it to anyone), moved closer to him. 

Several girls who saw Nabiki latching onto Matthew's arm gave her cold and jealous glares. Gossiping and whispers began to run rampant among the throngs of people. It seemed that the one boy in school that wasn't interested in her violent maniac of a sibling, had been taken. 

Nabiki noticed the looks she was being given and loved every minute of it. 

---------- 

On the other side of Tokyo, a certain individual smiled as she read the list of bounties that she had gotten off the Internet. However, she was no ordinary bounty hunter. The prey she stalked were not of the human kind. The rival organization of Hellsing called Iscariot, was offering rewards for Freak Vampires and a very sizeable bounty for a certain fanged noble. The little girl with the picnic basket full of Uzis, missiles, bombs and other goodies was ready to rumble. 

B. Bonnie Hood was on the job. 

---------- 

"So what's with your sister anyway?" Matthew asked as he sipped his Coke. Sitting opposite to him at the booth was Nabiki. "Has she always been so anti-social?" 

Nabiki shrugged as she took another sip from her root beer float. "Well, it's only because of that stupid declaration of Kuno's. At the beginning of the semester, he told everyone that he wouldn't allow any guy to date Akane unless..." 

"... unless he defeats her in battle." Matt finished. "Yeah, I heard about that from the guys in my class. Kind of lame if you ask me. But it looked to me that she was even angrier than usual."

"Well, I really can't blame her, since Daddy went and laid that bombshell on her, me and Kasumi last night. You see, an old friend of his had come to visit..." 

---------- 

Flashback... 

"This is my dear friend...' Soun introduced. 

"Genma Saotome." The fat man bowed as he gestured to a stocky boy beside him. And this is my son... Ranma." Genma smiled inwardly at his cleverness. After losing his son ten years ago, he had wandered about Japan and purposely sent deceiving letters to his wife, assuring her that the training was going well. In actuality, he spent his time trying to think of a way out of the mess he was in. He dared not return home without his child, for fear of that seppuku pledge he had signed before leaving on the training trip. 

It had been out of sheer luck that he had come across a boy who was about Ranma's age and height and had a talent for the martial arts. Using a special memory-erasing shampoo that he had... ah, obtained (stolen) from a Chinese merchant, he had been able to erase the boy's past and convinced him that he was his son. From then on, the training with 'Ranma' had continued without a hitch. Well, mostly without a hitch. The boy had some kind of directional defect and kept on getting lost. That trip to Jusenkyo could have ended better too. 

"My oldest daughter Kasumi, she's nineteen. My middle daughter Nabiki, she's seventeen. My youngest daughter Akane, she's sixteen. Choose any one you want, and she'll be your new fiancée." 

---------- 

End of Flashback... 

"You wouldn't believe the craziness that happened that night." Nabiki said as she and Matthew were now walking down the street toward the Tendo home. "Anyway, Daddy was dead set on having that pledge fulfilled and Akane got picked for bridal duty. She's been going on and on about how all boys are perverts since then." 

"So where is this... Ranma? Is he at your home now?" Matthew asked. 

"Well, that's the funny thing. We haven't seen him since last night when he asked Kasumi the way to the bathroom. He gets lost really easy. Mr. Saotome assured us that he'll eventually find his way back, but until then, Akane is blowing off steam on just about any boy that comes near her. Oh, here's my house." 

At that moment, a certain someone let off an enraged scream and started charging at Matthew. 

"_GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER, YOU PERVERT!_" 

---------- 

Meanwhile, somewhere in Osaka... 

"Excuse me, but which way is the Tendo Dojo?" 

---------- 

Later... 

"Ow!" Akane winced as Kasumi applied some disinfectant to her sister's injuries. In addition to a few scrapes on her arms, she had a large bruise forming on her right cheek and several more on her limbs. 

Nabiki shook her head at her hotheaded sibling. "Akane, what gave you the right to interfere with my personal life?" 

"What are you talking about? I was just trying to protect you from that pervert before he got too close!" Akane protested, then winced again. 

"No, you just saw it as an excuse to lash out at him." Nabiki countered as she gave Akane a disapproving glare. 

Kasumi nodded, as she had to agree with Nabiki. She had been sweeping up the front sidewalk and had observed both her sister and the Wolf-fighter simply walking toward the front gate. However, Akane had immediately assumed the worst when she saw them together. "Nabiki's right Akane. Matthew wasn't doing anything wrong." 

"Honesty Akane, you'll jump at any chance to hit a boy." Nabiki added with some disgust. 

"Boys are perverts and he was a pervert and...!" 

"And since _WHEN_ was it perverted for a boy to treat me to a root beer float and walk me home? You're just lucky that you got away with only a few scrapes and bruises. Matthew went easy on you." 

"I would have beaten that jerk if I had been ready..." 

"In your dreams, Akane." Nabiki said as she continued to frown about her sister's inexcusable actions. "You may have more martial arts experience than Kasumi and me, but from what I saw, Matthew could wipe the floor with you in his sleep. He beat you without even trying." 

"He didn't beat me! It was just a fluke! I... I... tripped and knocked myself out, that's all!" 

Nabiki sighed tiredly as Akane was once again off on her denials of reality. "Sure, sure, whatever you say, Akane. The thing is that you're the one who attacked him without reason, and all he did was self-defense. He wasn't at fault, you were." 

"I was not! It was his fault for being a pervert!" 

The middle daughter of Soun Tendo sighed again. 

Kasumi felt herself a bit torn after the incident. As the surrogate mother of the Tendo family, she had always looked after the well being of her family. Seeing her youngest sister hurt had been a bit of a shock, and yet Nabiki raised a valid point. Akane's behavior had been reprehensible and wasn't it Kasumi's responsibility to have taught her sibling better manners? 

Akane naturally saw no fault in her actions and silently promised that the next time she and Matthew met, she'd pound him into goo as she did with all perverts. 

---------- 

_What was **HER** problem?_ Matthew thought as he walked home. He remembered back to his encounter with Akane. 

---------- 

Flashback... 

"_GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER, YOU PERVERT!_" 

_**WHAM! BAM! WHOMP!**_

Matthew relaxed his stance after deflecting Akane's rage-fueled attack, counterpunched to the stomach, then followed through with a kick to her face. The short-tempered girl hit the pavement hard on her side and skidded a bit before stopping in a kind of daze. She let off a low moan of pain as she was in a state of shock at being instantly... beaten. Her perfect record of being the undefeated fighter of Nerima had been shattered in less than a heartbeat. 

Nabiki was quite surprised to see Matthew effortlessly, (almost unconsciously) stop Akane's usual 'pound first and don't bother to ask later' attacks. She then ran to her side to check for injuries. She was relieved to see that though Akane had taken quite a bruising, she was relatively all right. 

A startled gasp was heard and another girl, this one older with long brown hair, ran out from the front of the house and knelt down at the downed heir to the Tendo Anything Goes. 

Matthew then realized that he had just hit a girl. 

---------- 

End of flashback... 

_It wasn't my fault! She attacked me first! Was I supposed to just stand there and let her hit me?_

After helping Akane into her home and apologizing for hitting her, he had immediately left the Tendo home. Fortunately for him, Soun and Genma were out drinking, so he had avoided encountering his former father. He gazed down at his right hand, which he had used to punch Akane in the abdomen before automatically following through with a kick. That simple combo had stopped Akane's best attack and he was now unofficially the best fighter in Nerima. Big whoop.

After reuniting with his real father, Ranma Saotome had been training in the fighting styles of his werewolf heritage. It was more freestyle than even the Anything Goes and relied on instincts, specifically animal and spiritual instincts. It didn't recognize the difference between males and females as did Genma's fighting ideals, which considered them weak. 

Jon Talbain did not agree with his chauvinistic views as he had already encountered females of formidable powers and abilities. Females such as the Catwoman Felicia, the Succubus Morrigan and her excess evil persona known as Lilith. The so-called fairer sex have proven themselves to be opponents that were not to be dismissed. He had long since reeducated his biological son in his ideals and to never underestimate his opponents, regardless of their gender. 

At that moment, Matthew's danger sense went off as he sensed that something... or someone was watching him. His body tensed up as he looked about for any signs of danger. The presence he was feeling was just at the edge of his perception and he couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. His nostrils flared a bit and he tuned into any sounds that were out of the ordinary. The sun was nearing the horizon as the shadows grew longer and darker. 

At that point, Jon's son caught a glimpse of a figure stepping out from a darkened alley and into view some fifty feet away. Matthew's eyes narrowed as he beheld... him. 

He was a tall, blonde Caucasian man with a neatly trimmed beard. He wore a pair of steel-rimmed glasses and white, flowing robes that made him resemble a Catholic priest. He even had a gold, holy cross dangling from his neck from a thin chain. However, Matthew suspected that this was no holy man. In each of his gray-gloved hands was a long, wicked-looking blade with a bent handle. The weapons resembled oversized butcher knives and the young werewolf had no doubt that they were composed with a generous amount of silver. 

When he saw the murderous look in the stranger's eyes, Matthew knew that he was in grave danger. 

---------- 

Meanwhile... 

A certain individual smiled as she stood from a rooftop and looked down at the city below. Her long, light, emerald hair wafted in the breeze, which accentuated the small batwings that were on the sides of her head. On her back was a pair of larger batwings. Her figure was voluptuous and emitted a kind of sensual but lethal magnetism. She wore a form fitting, skintight outfit with a plunging neckline that displayed a generous view of her ample cleavage. 

As the sun began to set and the night was nearing, the succubus known as Morrigan Aensland prepared for her nightly excursion.

She had heard the rumors that Demitri and Jon Talbain were in Japan, plus a few others, which had piqued her interest. What had caught her interest the most, was the rumor that the werewolf now had a son, and she was looking forward to encountering him. If he was anything like his feral and delicious father... 

The Darkstalker spread her wings wide and leapt into the sky. 

---------- 

"Who are you?" Matthew asked as he took a defensive stance. 

The man smiled scornfully at the adolescent lycanthrope. "I am Paladin Alexander Anderson and I am your executioner... you child of Demon-spawn!" His weapons flashed as he took a more aggressive stance and prepared to attack. 

"What are you talking about...?" 

"Do not try to deny the truth with your beastly tongue, abomination!" Alexander cut off as he took a few steps forward. "You are Matthew Talbain, son of Jon Talbain, heir to the accursed line of the Talbain werewolves. Iscariot knows of your kind well. Your bloodline has long been a blight on this Earth in which our Almighty Lord had created for his children. It my sworn duty to rid our lands of the filth that you and those other denizens of Hell bring." 

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about but..." 

"The time for talk is over! Have at thee, Darkstalker!" 

Matthew had no chance to speak any further as Paladin Alexander suddenly sprang forward with a speed that nearly matched his own. He barely managed to swerve out of the way of the initial slashes of his weapons. He flipped backward, while drawing out a pair of nunchakus from a hidden holster at the small of his back. Though he was very capable in unarmed combat, the silver blades the mad Catholic wielded were a problem. He didn't dare try to block those things with his bare hands. 

In a heartbeat, Alexander launched his weapons at his opponent. The twin swords streaked toward him like bolts of metallic lightning. Focusing his ki into his weapons, Matthew whirled the chained clubs about and deflected the edged projectiles. An instant later, he charged forward, intent on finishing the fight quickly before his foe brought out any more surprises. 

Alexander Anderson also charged forward, and with two flicks of both wrists, made two more blades appear in his hands. With the blade in his right hand, he made a slash toward Matthew's face. As he predicted, the lycanthrope blocked with his nunchakus. At the same time, he stabbed at his opponent's unprotected flank with the other blade. 

However, Jon's son had anticipated the maneuver and twisted at the last moment. The blade barely nicked his side and sent a sharp burning sensation into his flesh as it tore through his shirt. Matthew bit down on the pain, whirled about and slammed one end of his nunchakus into the Iscariot agent's face. 

_**THWACK!**_

This caused the man's glasses to be knocked off and he staggered back several feet. Matthew pressed his advantage and delivered several hard punches to his abdomen, followed by a snap kick to the face. Unfortunately, Alexander was made of far sterner stuff and retaliated with a wicked double slash at him. The young wolf-fighter managed to evade the first strike, but was a hair too slow in avoiding the second one. The blade burned into his right shoulder, causing him to scream out in agony. 

"_HAH! FIRST BLOOD IS MINE! NOW DEMON OF SATAN, YE SHALL PERISH BY MINE OWN... AAAACCCKKK!_" 

Alexander's rant was swiftly cut off as Matthew slammed a fist into his throat. This gave the young Darkstalker enough time to strike at Paladin's right temple to knock him off balance, then somersault away. Once he got about ten feet from his foe, he triggered his transformation to his hybrid form. He immediately gained an increase in height and muscle mass, plus a furrier appearance. In their brief exchange, Matthew had realized that his adversary wasn't all human as he had shrugged off hits that would have seriously injured an ordinary man. Things were getting drastic and the lycanthrope suspected that he may have to be more... savage in order to survive this night. 

The agent of Hellsing's rival shook his head to clear it, then beheld Matthew in his true form. He snorted as he held up his weapons. "So, you have decided to drop your guise of false humanity, eh? So be it. I much rather prefer to fight you in your true shape. It sickens me that freaks like you would even presume to belong to this world! You are a mistake of nature and as a loyal servant of our Holy Father, I shall erase that mistake! _DIE_!" 

Matthew tensed up as the maniac charged in what appeared to be a suicide attack. Then he suddenly sensed another imminent attack and swerved to the left. At that moment a spray of gunfire rained down on the space in which he had occupied a moment before. At that same time, the insane priest stopped in his tracks and looked up. He spied a young girl standing on the second story of a nearby fire escape. 

"Who ye be?!" He demanded to a certain bounty hunter. She was dressed in a red cloak and was holding a picnic basket in one hand and an Uzi in the other. The muzzle was still smoking. 

"Hood's the name, B. Bonnie Hood." The girl replied in a cheery, yet somewhat sickening voice. "And I'll thank you to leave my target alone. I won't get any bounty from Iscariot if you cut him up first." 

"Bounty?!" Alexander exclaimed in disbelief. He had not yet been told that his employers were hiring out mercenaries. The holy mission wipe out all demon spawn was reserved for the righteous knights of Iscariot, not to money-hungry scum! 

"That's right, priest man." Hood said as she leapt down and took aim with her weapon. "Iscariot's is offering some really nice chunks of change for anyone who can bring in the Freak Vampires or any other Darkstalker, undead or dead. The Talbains happen to be on my list." 

"_NAY! YOU LIE!_" The insane priest held up his weapons in a crossed fashion in front of him. "The sacred duty to destroy the monsters is reserved for we _TRUE_ agents of the Lord!" 

"Whatever." The bounty hunter shrugged. "The Gods I believe in happen to be printed on the greenbacks. So either you get out of my way, or you're going to have a few dozen extra body openings." She held up her Uzi and took aim at Matthew. 

"_THE WOLF-DEMON IS MINE TO DESTROY! I SHALL NOT BE DENIED MY RIGHT TO SERVE MY LORD! DIE!!!!!!_"

B. Bonnie Hood shrugged again as Alexander charged at her. "Have it your way. If Iscariot asks about you, I'll just say that it was in self-defense." She then squeezed the trigger. 

Matthew stood in horror as Paladin Alexander charged into a hailstorm of gunfire. The priest's pure, white robes, along with his body, became riddled with bullets. He was stopped about fifteen feet from the red-robed girl and fell backward. Blood began to pool on the pavement as the mercenary turned her attention toward her werewolf prey. 

"Don't even think about trying to escape, wolfie. This gun's loaded with silver bullets. Now why don't you make things easier for the both of us and just stand there?" 

Matthew growled as he tensed up, and prepared to attack. It was then that he caught some movement coming from... Alexander's corpse? 

Hood also caught sight of the supposedly dead agent of Iscariot rising to his feet. "What the...?!" 

The mad priest began chuckling like a certain rock-and-roll zombie we know of, as he gazed upon Hood with a maniacal grin. "Foolish waif! Did ye actually believe that thy puny gun could defeat a disciple of the Holy One?" 

Both Matthew and Hood watched in disbelief as the numerous holes in Alexander's body began sealing themselves up. 

"No way! You can't be alive!" B. Bonnie Hood exclaimed as she reloaded her weapon with a fresh magazine from her basket. 

However, the agent of Iscariot laughed as he brandished his swords. "Go ahead. Shoot me. It will do you no good with the gift that I have received from the Almighty." 

Matthew knew that things had just gone from bad to worse. 

---------- 

High above, Morrigan continued to wing her way in search of a little excitement. When she heard the sounds of gunfire from the streets below, she decided to investigate and began her descent. She smiled as she saw one person in particular. 

_Mmmmmm... he looks **VERY** scrumptious! Just like his father!_

---------- 

_**WHABOOM!**_

"And where do you think _YOU'RE_ going?" The mercenary girl said as she noticed that Matthew was trying to get away in the heat of the battle. She had momentarily gotten Paladin Alexander off her case by giving him an apple... with a bomb in it. 

Matthew tried to get more distance between himself and these loonies, when the Red Riding Hood lookalike held up her basket as if she was holding up a... 

_**WHOOSH! SHOOM!**_

_Rocket launcher?!_ Matthew leapt high to avoid the projectile as it screamed toward him. It passed right by him and impacted a store, causing it to explode, sending glass, bricks and other debris flying everywhere. 

The werewolf landed lightly on his feet, then had to swerve to the right as Hood let loose with another volley of silver-tipped bullets. "Hey! Don't you know that there are gun laws in Japan?!" 

"So what's your point?" Hood shrugged as she continued to fire at her elusive prey. However, Talbain's son proved to be a very difficult target as he dodged each of her shots, and began advancing on her. _Damn! He's moving too fast for me to get a bead on! I have to slow him down somehow!_

At that moment, a certain someone had the same idea. The mad priest from Iscariot had just finished regenerating after having an apple packed with C-4 blow up in his face. He smiled as he saw his werewolf victim too occupied with his opponent. This was too good an opportunity to pass up. Smiling evilly and brandishing his silver-edged weapons, he began charging at Matthew from behind. 

However, Matthew had sensed his approach and countered. Spinning about, his right leg came up in a horizontal version of his father's Climb Razor technique. His foot glowed with bestial ki and mystical energy as it impacted hard against Alexander's temple, sending him sprawling. 

Unfortunately, this slight distraction was all B. Bonnie Hood needed as she fired toward Mathew's head. The werewolf ducked fast, but not fast enough. A round grazed his right temple, causing a flaring pain to erupt in his head as the flesh was burned. This put Mathew off balance and, that was when his opponent prepared to finish him off. She threw up her cape and shouted... 

"_COOL HUNTING!_" 

Two ghostly images of giant hunters appeared behind her, each was armed with a nasty-looking shotgun or rifle. At that moment, she aimed her Uzi at both Mathew and Alexander and was about to squeeze the trigger. 

A heartbeat before the carnage was unleashed, a dark shape with bat wings swooped down and snatched the injured werewolf out of the line of fire. 

_**BUDDA! BUDDA! BUDDA! RATATATATATATATATATATATA! KPOW! KPOW! BOOM! KAPOW! WHABOOM! BOOM! BUDDA! RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT! WHOOM! BA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**_

B. Bonnie Hood and her ghostly hunters, let loose with a storm of bullets, bombs and missiles that would have taken out a tank battalion, but missed their intended target. However, they didn't miss Paladin Alexander. The mad priest only had a half-second to see what was coming at him before his body was torn to pieces under the lethal hail of fire. His insides were sent splattering all over the asphalt as limbs were quartered and his flesh was set ablaze by the numerous explosions. 

Finally, after it was all over, the little girl put down her weapon and let her ghostly allies disappear. She snarled a bit as she surveyed the damage her final attack had caused. She had missed her bounty! The werewolf had escaped and all she had to show for it was the bloody and mangled carcass of that nutjob from Iscariot. 

She let off a sigh and decided to turn in for the evening. She would not earn any bounty for this night's work, but she was certain that she would see the teenage lycanthrope again. Next time, she was going to have his head! 

As she disappeared into the shadows, she paid no notice to the bloodied mass on the street. Why would she? She was certain that despite any strange regeneration powers the man had possessed, there was no way he could recover from that, especially with his head torn apart and his brain splattered all over the concrete. Her Cool Hunting Finishing Move _ALWAYS_ killed. 

However, what she did not know was that the technology that had given Alexander's regenerative abilities was quite advanced. Just a minute after she was gone from sight, several pieces of the Iscariot agent began to quiver... (2) 

---------- 

Some time later... 

Jon Talbain looked down at his son, as Matthew lay unconscious on the bed in his hybrid form. He reached out and gently caressed his offspring's temple, which was now bandaged after he had cleaned tended to the wound. He let off a sigh of relief, then turned to face the one who had brought him home. 

Morrigan smiled at him as she stood at Matthew's bedside. "It's been a long time Jon." 

"Yes... it has been." The elder werewolf admitted with some reluctance as he looked back down at his son. "So... how did you find out where we lived?" 

The succubus smiled knowingly. "Oh... I have my ways. But then again, you of all people should know that." This caused Jon to blush slightly, which elicited a small giggle from her as she gazed at his son. "She must have been quite a woman." 

"Hmmm?" 

"Your boy's mother. I envy her for actually snagging your heart." Morrigan let off a heartfelt sigh. "Matthew could have been ours, you know." 

"Er... yes, well..." The Talbain werewolf became a bit flustered as he tried to compose himself in front of the very beautiful and sexy succubus. Talking about Matthew's mother in front of his old flame was making him very nervous, and he was relieved when his offspring began to regain consciousness. 

"Uuuuuuhhhhh... ow!" Matthew groaned as started to sit up, but fell back down as his head began to throb. 

"Easy son. You're safe and sound. You've had quite a night." Jon gently placed a reassuring hand on his son's right shoulder and patted it. 

Matthew tried to rise again, but his head winced in protest. As his vision began to clear, he immediately recognized his father, but was confused to see a green-haired woman with batwings sprouting from her head. The fact that she was wearing a skintight outfit with her generous cleavage showing didn't help matters as his hormone levels began to rise. (3) 

"W-Who are you?" 

Jon cleared his voice as he introduced her to him. "This is the one who had saved you and brought you home. Son, this is Morrigan Aensland, an old... acquaintance." 

Morrigan giggled again as she playfully stroked one side of Jon's face. "Actually, the more appropriate term would be lover." 

Matthew's eyes widened in shock... 

To be continued... 

Author's Notes 

Yeah, I know a lot of Darkstalker fans would argue for Morrigan and Dimetri and Jon/Felicia couplings, but this is my story so I get to choose who goes with who. I'll be tweaking the history of the Darkstalkers in according to the Vampire Savior game and there will be more interactions with the Hellsing gang. I've also had some requests to add Gold Diggers and... _MORE FELICIA!_ (thanks Alex Burgos). I'm not promising anything as this story doesn't have any set direction yet, but I'll keep all your suggestions in mind. 

Next time, we'll meet Ranma (that is to say Ryoga), as well as a few more appearances from the Darkstalkers gang. This occurs after the Hellsing series. I've always wondered just how much her could take before his body reaches its limit to regenerate. Hey, he's been growing up with Jon, not Genma, so he's neither as immature nor sexually repressed as his canon version. 


	4. Chapter 3: Lone Wolf Vs Pharaoh

**BEAST WITHIN**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2, Darkstalkers, Hellsing and any other characters mentioned in this story belong to their respective creators.

: Thoughts

**Chapter 3**

Lone Wolf Vs. Pharaoh

Matthew Talbain shook his head as he walked to school. He was wearing his usual headband, though it was covering the bandage that his father had bound over his head wound. The previous night had taken a lot out of him, both emotionally and physically. However, B. Bonnie Hood's silver bullets had not been as unnerving as his conversation with his father's old flame, Morrigan Aenslade... 

----------

Flashback...

So, let me get this straight. Matthew asked as he spoke with the voluptuous succubus on the patio to the apartment. You and my Dad used to be...?

Morrigan nodded while leaning seductively against the railing. Currently, the green-haired beauty had retracted the batwings on her head and back, concealing them within her body, in case anyone were to unexpectedly come by the Talbain home. However, that made the front of her daringly cut outfit to show even more cleavage of her generous bosom, which made Matthew a bit nervous. Indeed we were.

Uh... so how close were you...? The younger werewolf was still somewhat disbelieving that she and his father had been lovers. Jon had never spoke about her before.

Morrigan let off a mischievous laugh as she held up hand with the thumb and forefinger extended with a slight space between them. I was _THAT_ close to becoming Mrs. Jon Talbain. You would have been _MY_ son. She reached out and traced his chest with a well-manicured index finger. She then licked her lips.

Jon's son gulped a bit. He didn't know how she was making his libido go up by just touching him, and he could only guess as to how his father must have felt when he had been seeing her.

Morrigan admired the well-muscled form of Jon's son and his personality mirrored his sire. You're so much like your father. I can see that you are going to be quite a hit with the girls. 

----------

End of flashback...

Matthew Talbane, I challenge you!

The young werewolf sighed as he stopped just before the gates of Furinken High School. Shaking his head in disgust, he turned around to face one very angry Akane Tendo. Just from her expression alone, he could tell that she had taken yesterday's defeat very personally. Behind the Tendo heir to the Anything Goes Martial Arts, Nabiki pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. The daughter of Soun Tendo then gave Matthew an apologetic expression, while helplessly shrugging her shoulders. 

At that moment, the usual beat-Akane-so-you-can-date-her nut-jobs came charging out of the school, and headed toward the front gates. However, they stopped in their tracks, when they beheld the object of their dreams taking a battle stance against someone and was ignoring them.

Matthew was _NOT_ in the mood, especially after all the crap he had to endure the night before. He let off a slight growl that sounded like an irritated wolf's, then turned about to head toward the school.

_HEY! DON'T YOU IGNORE ME! DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?! I SAID...!_

I _HEARD_ what you said. Matthew snarled as he barely kept his anger in check. He stopped walking, but didn't bother to face her. And I don't care to waste my time.

_WHAT DID YOU SAY?!_ Akane shouted in outrage. How _DARE_ this _BOY_ casually dismiss her challenge?!

We _ALL_ know how this is going to go. Matthew said as-a-matter-of-factly. You attack, I beat you without any trouble or _EFFORT_, end of story. _BORING!_ Face facts, Tendo. I'm better than you, so deal with it. With those words, he started walking again.

Nabiki let off a low whistle. Matthew certainly didn't mince words and didn't treat her sister like a spoiled princess like everyone else did. He was direct, to the point and had that animalistic aura that made him _SO_... feral. He didn't brag or go on about his skills, but said it in a way that made anyone believe that he wasn't kidding. Of course, Akane wasn't one to listen...

_HEY! COME BACK HERE! I'M NOT FINISHED!_

I am. Matthew said simply. _Man! Total lack of control and discipline! A martial artist she ain't._

Akane cried out, not knowing what else to say in order to goad him into fighting her. She just had to prove that she could take this _BOY_, just as she could with the others. If there was one thing that got Akane into a fast boil, it was a person who didn't take her seriously as a martial artist. She was proud of her achievements and position as heir to the Tendo Dojo. So she wasn't good with cooking or other domestic skills, but she was a great martial artist! And if he wasn't going to take her honorable challenge seriously , then shed just have to pound it into him! With that, she began charging at him, intent on smashing his head open. However...

_**WHOMP! CRASH!**_

Ooh, I win again. Big surprise.

Matthew continued on his way to the school, while leaving Akane in a tangled heap on the pavement. The short-tempered girl had a glazed look in her eyes as she was seeing the pretty birdies.

When the Horde of Hentai saw their perfect goddess downed so easily by this upstart, they were all prepared to charge at him, and make him pay for hurting her. That was when the young wolf-fighter let loose with his aura and another bestial snarl escaped his lips. Something about his presence just seemed to say, Death Wish.' The crowds immediately felt cold chills down their spines and parted to make a clear path to the front doors. That is, all but one dope...

_HOW DARE YOU MAR THE PERFECT BEAUTY OF THE FIERCE TIGRESS AKANE TENDO?! I, TATEWAKI KUNO WILL..._

_**THUNK! SPLUTCH!**_

The crowds parted even wider after witnessing Matthew stick Kuno's bokken into the kendoist's... orifice. One thing for sure, Kuno won't be able to sit down properly for a while. 

----------

Homeroom...

Akane growled as she glared upon the wolf fighter sitting a few seats in front of her. He thinks he so great just because he was lucky! When I...

Her best friends Yuka and Akemi became a bit apprehensive as they saw the first signs of Akane's battle aura begin to manifest. The last thing they needed was for their short-tempered friend to blow up when the teacher arrived. 

Akane, please! Not here! Yuka warned.

Akemi nodded. Please Akane. Don't do it!

Akane just barely managed to not explode when the homeroom teacher came in to take roll call. For now, Talbane was safe from her vengeance, but she promised that she'd pay him back! Already people were whispering behind her back that since Matthew had beaten her in combat, he and Akane were now a couple, and that infuriated her. It was bad enough she was engaged to a guy who got lost looking for the bathroom, but she wasn't going to let people think that she was involved with this jerk! She'd prove who the real martial artist was!

Talbane sat unaware of the angry thoughts being directed toward him, or maybe he was but didn't really care. He had other things to worry about, such as that vampire Demitri and that crazed bounty hunter with the Red Riding Hood getup. And of course, the return of his father's old girlfriend.

Little did he know that other complications were heading his way. 

----------

In the Tokyo Museum, a new Egyptian exhibit was being prepared. In the center of the exhibit was a sarcophagus, complete with a huge mummy within it. Inscribed on the elaborate sides of the casket was the mummy's name in hieroglyphics.

Anakaris 

---------- 

B. Bonnie Hood cleaned out her Uzi as she checked her equipment for her next encounter with the creatures of the night. The bounties on the Freak Vampires as well as any other Darkstalkers were still being offered by Iscariot, and the diminutive bounty hunter was intent on collecting. This time, that werewolf wasn't going to get away! 

----------

Lunch time...

Hey Matthew! Wait up!

The young werewolf looked over his shoulder and stopped on his way to the school cafeteria. Oh, it's you Nabiki. What can I do for you?

Soun's middle daughter smiled as she mentally mustered up her courage. After all, this was the first time she was actually asking a boy out. And without blackmailing him first.

Nabiki Tendo had so far led a lonely life, with only attaining wealth as her sole goal in life. She had been known as the Ice Queen of Furinken, and just about every boy in the school avoided her. This had made things very difficult for her, especially when it came to making friends. Most people were intimidated by her... less-than-admirable methods of earning money. 

However, it wasn't due to greed and avarice, which drove her to being a mercenary, at least not entirely. Ever since her mother had died, Nabiki had taken it upon herself to keep her family from ending up on the street. Her father was an incompetent, when it came to teaching. The students who used to come to the dojo, had long since abandoned their training as Soun Tendo had become nothing but a blubbering, emotional crybaby. Who could respect such a sensei? Then there were the new drains on the family savings now.

Though the Saotomes had only been staying at their home for a few days, they had already consumed enough food to feed the family for three weeks! Well, one of them did. Genma was appalling and Nabiki often wondered what her father saw in him, to let him eat them out of house and home. He didn't lift a single finger to help out with the household chores and all he did was sit around with Soun, while playing Shogi and go on and on about the Anything Goes Schools being joined. She knew that he was just a good-for-nothing freeloader, but Soun seemed blinded by past memories and an obsession to see the schools joined, no matter the cost.

Nabiki wasn't even sure if Ranma (1) would be good for the future of the Tendo Dojo. With his tendency to easily get lost, she didn't think that he could be counted on to be at his own wedding on time. And it seemed to her that Ranma didn't have very much upstairs in terms of intellect. Then there was that strange Jusenkyo curse that caused him to turn into a pig. Akane most certainly didn't like it when her pet P-Chan turned into a naked boy, while they were both in the bath. (2) She made a note to call the repairman to fix the hole in their roof, which Ranma had made after Akane sent him into LEO.

The girl shook her head out of her reverie as she remembered why she had called out to Matthew. She took a deep breath and said, Say Matthew. I was wondering... if you were doing anything after school?

Well... not really. He admitted. Are you asking me out or something?

_Well, he's direct. I like that._ Nabiki smiled a bit. Well, I was thinking... since you treated me last time, I thought it would be fair to return the favor. I mean... if you really want to... She bowed her head a bit and began to absently twiddle her index fingers. This feeling of nervousness and uncertainty was new to her, but she steeled herself and continued. I mean, I really got to apologize for my sister Akane. She had no right to attack you yesterday and this morning...

Hey, don't sweat it. Matthew said as he waved off the past attacks with indifference.

No, I mean it. Akane shouldn't have tried to hurt you, just because you were with me and that you wounded her pride as a martial artist. I want to make up for it and maybe if we could... uhm... we... could... er, maybe... She began to lose her cool, which was unnatural for the normally calm and collected middle sister.

Matthew smirked as he nodded. Okay. Tomorrow at two o'clock.

This caught Nabiki completely off-guard. 

I'll pick you up at your place, all right?

All right, it's a date. Then the young wolf fighter gave her a wave and continued on to the cafeteria.

Nabiki stood in shocked silence for more than ten minutes as the crowds of students filed past her on their way to lunch. Finally, her mouth moved as she said two words.

A date.

Then her face took on a far-off dreamy look as her mouth turned upward in a silly smile and a small trickle of drool went down her chin. 

----------

Evening at the Talbain home...

You're going out tomorrow? Jon asked after his son had told him of his encounter with Nabiki.

Yeah. She's a girl that goes to Furinken. She's seems to be okay. I figured since it's Sunday and there's no full moon, it'll be all right.

Are you certain you should? The elder werewolf asked. After all, that crazy bounty hunter is still out there and there's also some more strange things that have been going on lately. I've been sensing some... mystical emanations lately and there's also that vampire Demitri to worry about.

It's just a little date, Dad. And besides, I'll be home before nightfall, so you don't have to worry about any vampires. Besides, Nabiki's... kind of cute, you know?

Well... all right. I suppose it wouldn't hurt. Jon conceded. But keep on your guard, Cub.

Aw c'mon, Dad. I'm not a little cub anymore. Matthew had grown to hate that pet name that his father called him sometimes.

Jon smiled a little as he gave his son a pat on his shoulder. You're _MY_ cub, Matthew. And you can't blame this old wolf for being worried about his only son.

Yeah, yeah. By the way, where's Morrigan?

Oh, well she had to leave to take care of some business. She said that she'd be back later. In any case, I would like to meet this Nabiki girl someday soon. Does she know about our... little secret?

Uh... no, and I don't really see any reason to tell her... yet.

It's up to you, son. If you really like this girl, then you'd best make certain that she would accept you for who you are.

Like you and Mom?

Well, I _WAS_ about to tell her... then that plane exploded. But I hope you can trust this girl if you do decide to let her in on our family's... condition. 

----------

Hellsing Headquarters in Japan...

Sir Integra, you have a guest. A servant bowed as he came into Integra's office.

Yes, I know. The leader of the organization nodded as she looked up from her desk and signaled for him to show the visitor in. The servant bowed again and left the room. A moment later, the door opened and in walked a certain green-haired woman. She was now dressed in form-fitting business attire, which consisted of a white blouse with a plunging neckline, beige, long-sleeved vest with matching skirt, and low heeled pumps.

Integra didn't even bat an eye as she nodded for the Darkstalker to sit down. She had been expecting to encounter the succubus after her operatives had informed her of Morrigan's appearance. She had read the file on her and of her past relationship with Jon Talbain. She could prove to be a useful ally or a deadly enemy.

As soon as Morrigan sat down, she immediately sensed the presence of a certain someone, as he started to appear from the shadows of the dimly-lit room. Like Integra, she kept her composure as Alucard materialized.

Well now. This IS a surprise. The vampire smiled, showing very impressive fangs. It's not very often that we are graced with the presence of royalty from the Demon Realms.

Ah yes. Morrigan smiled seductively as she stood up and faced the most terrifying agent of the Hellsing Organization. I have heard of you, Alucard. I must say, you look... delicious. Almost as delectable as Jon Talbain.

How very kind of you to say so. The vampire chuckled.

Both turned their attention to Integra as she cleared her throat.

Getting to the business at hand, The unflappable woman said. I would like to know why you contacted us.

Well, it's about a certain werewolf, his son, and a vampire noble that they ran into recently. Jon told me about his encounter with Maximov. And since the Hellsing Organization has had previous dealings with my family... 

----------

The Tendo Home...

Oh how wonderful, Nabiki! Kasumi said after her sister had told her of the her impending date with Matthew. It's good to know that you're finally getting out and enjoying yourself.

Uh, yeah. It's great. Nabiki replied, still a little shocked over this sudden upswing in her social life. She hadn't expected Matthew to agree so readily to go out with her. Now she was totally unprepared for the most important event in a teenage girl's life, her first date. Ever since their mother's death, she had been concerned only with keeping her family's finances stable. Now, she was being given an opportunity to just have fun. 

What was it about Matthew that made her lose control over her emotions? She didn't care about money or gaining control whenever she was with him. And why is it that her heart always did a jig whenever he smiled at her? There was just something so... animalistic about him and she wanted to know more.

She began fussing over what to wear on the date as Kasumi made suggestions on her wardrobe. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. For a while, she could just forget about life's problems and just have some fun. 

----------

Sitting nearby on the back porch, two middle-aged men were engaged in yet another game of shogi, while conversing quietly. One was a portly man with a bandana wrapped about his head, glasses, and wore a slightly tarnished gi. The other man was thin, had long black hair, a mustache and was wearing a dark brown gi.

I hear that Nabiki is going on a date tomorrow. Genma commented as he moved his shogi piece forward.

Soun nodded as he countered his friend's move with one of his own. Yes, it seems that my little girls are growing up. Soon the Schools shall be joined, and perhaps I might even have another son-in-law. Speaking of which, where is exactly is that boy of yours?

The fatter man shrugged a bit. Well I can't exactly be certain, but I'm confident that he will be back by tomorrow. He usually doesn't disappear for more than a week or so.

How can such a talented martial artist get so easily lost?

Oh, it's something that he inherited from his mother. Genma said quickly, not wanting to reveal to his friend that the boy wasn't really his son. He would have enough trouble convincing his own wife that the young man he had brainwashed was their only child. He was hoping that he wouldn't have to after Ranma' was married.

Well, as soon as he gets back, we'll have the ceremony right away. Soun said with confidence as he made his next move on the shogi board.

Excellent idea, Tendo! Genma said as he quickly made one of Soun's pieces disappear, then decided to change the subject. So what's this new boyfriend of Nabiki's like?

Well, from what I understand, he's some transfer student from England and quite a martial artist.

Really? What style does he use?

Nabiki isn't really certain. She swears that he fights like a wolf and even Akane couldn't beat him. But I'm certain that Ranma could best him.

Of course he could. Genma said with confidence. I hadn't spent the last ten years training that boy for nothing. I would like to see this wolf-style of martial arts for myself.

As would I, Saotome. 

----------

The next day...

Nabiki waited anxiously as the time drew near to two o'clock. She was dressed in a simple, short-sleeved blouse with matching slacks and shoes. She was wearing a light, flowery perfume and her face had on slight makeup, courtesy of Kasumi. She didn't want to look too gaudy on her first date.

Behind her, Akane growled a bit as she also waited for Matthew to arrive. She was still steamed over what had happened yesterday. Now that jerk was coming to her house again. She wanted to pound on him for her humiliation, but both of her sisters had chided her for her past behavior, and would not stand for any more hostilities against him. He was a guest and the youngest Tendo could do nothing about it... for now.

At that moment, there was a knock at the front door, which got Nabiki all tensed up as she headed toward the entrance hall. She mentally readied herself as she took a deep breath, then opened up the door.

Well, Matthew I see that you're punctual and... Her voice trailed off as she saw Matthew with another boy leaning off his shoulder.

The wolf-fighter smiled a bit as he easily supported the tired and bedraggled person. Hey Nabiki. Could you help me with this guy? 

----------

Sorry about all this. I really didn't mean to come in like this after last week. Oh, I'm Ranma Saotome. He held out his hand.

Okay, I'm please to meet you... Ranma. I'm Matthew Talbane. He silently took his hand and gave him a quick once-over. _So **THIS** guy is supposed to be me? He doesn't look a **THING** like me._

Ranma' was built with more musculature, which seemed to emphasize strength and endurance, rather than speed and agility. His face was rougher and his eye color was all wrong. His was brown and Matthew's was blue. Judging by his stance, Matthew estimated that his replacement practiced a style that stressed on power blows and brute force, rather than skill. He could tell that Ranma wasn't as proficient with acrobatics and evasive maneuvers as he was. And there wasn't much in terms of ki control, at least not at the same level as his was. And his scent was odd. It was almost as if there were two scents intermingled with each other. Even in his human form, Matthew still retained his keen wolf senses.

As for Ranma,' he was feeling some considerable pain from Matthew's grip. He had thought he was strong, but the wolf-fighter's handshake threatened to crush the bones in his hand to powder. After Matthew finally released his hand, the Lost Heir of the Anything Goes sized him up. He could tell that he was a fighter, but his stance was absolutely neutral, giving away nothing of the type of martial arts he practiced. He was dressed casually in a pair of blue jeans, white shirt and a leather jacket. There was something animalistic about him and his lupine-colored eyes gave off a kind of beastlike quality. However, he was certain that he could best him in a fight. After all, his father had taught him to be the best, and Ranma always wins.(3)

At that moment, Soun and Genma entered the room.

Matthew immediately froze when he beheld Genma. Even though it had been ten years, the fat slob hadn't changed much. He was still the greedy, bald idiot that had been his father for six years, before Jon Talbain had found him.

Fortunately for him, Genma did not recognize Matthew as the real Ranma. After losing him during the Neko-Ken training, his memory of the boy had long since become dim and he would not have suspected the young werewolf as the missing heir to the Anything Goes. 

Well now, you must be Nabiki's new boyfriend. Soun said with a smile.

Nabiki immediately blushed at the mention of the word boyfriend.' Though she and Matthew were just friends at the moment, a very large part of her wanted her father's statement to be true. However, she had to clear things up. Daddy! Matthew and I are just... friends! We're just going out to have some fun, that's all!

Soun laughed at his daughter's flustered expression as he walked up to Matthew and introduced himself. Hello young man. I'm Nabiki's father, Soun Tendo, the proprietor to the Anything Goes Dojo.

Anything Goes? 

You've heard of our fighting style? Soun asked, feeling a bit of pride in his dojo and his art.

Well, a little bit. Matthew replied, not wanting to let on that he knew more than they suspected. 

Where did you hear about it?

Well, I... Matthew became a bit nervous as he tried to explain how he knew about the Anything Goes. Fortunately, Nabiki came to his rescue.

What he's trying to say, Daddy, is that he's already fought a martial artist from the Anything Goes twice, and won. Very easily I might add.

Everyone looked over to where Akane was standing. She was clearly upset that her own sister would mention those flukes. It was bad enough that Talbane was in her home, but to be ridiculed like this was unacceptable!

So you practice the martial arts, eh? The substitute Ranma commented. I'd like to have a match with you someday.

Well maybe later. Matthew said, then decided to leave before things became more complicated. He then took Nabiki's hand, which made the girl blush even more. Come on, Nabiki. Let's get going.

The two exited the Tendo home in a flash. 

----------

Some time later...

The sun began to set as the two exited a movie theater.

That was a great movie. Nabiki said as she tossed away the remnants of her bag of popcorn.

Yeah, well it wasn't bad, though I kind of wish it wasn't a cheesy horror movie. Matthew commented. Those producers didn't know squat about werewolves.

Nabiki giggled a bit. Oh and what are you, a werewolf expert? She asked teasingly. I thought it was really scary.

Nah. It was too overdramatic. I mean, most of the time, the werewolf just made faces and gestures like some dope, making that girl scream and scream and scream, before he finally killed her.

Well, I'd be scared too if I ran into a real, live werewolf.

Her casual comment caused the young wolf-fighter to stiffen up a bit. He looked at her questioningly and asked. Would you really?

Nabiki smiled, thinking that he was still joking around. She put on a cute little face and said in a girly tone, Oh, yes! They're _SO_ scary! I'd faint dead away if I were to see one! She then laughed out loud. Oh come on, Matt. We all know that werewolves, vampires, and ghosts are just make-believe! Theyre not real.

Yeah... I guess they aren He said quietly as they continued to walk down the streets of Tokyo.

Nabiki got even closer to him, then pointed toward the Tokyo Museum. Hey look over there! That's where they're showing the new Ancient Egyptian Exhibit. Let's go check it out!

The werewolf stopped suddenly as his mystical senses detected something emanating from the building. It felt as if some ancient presence was blanketing the entire structure.

Nabiki became puzzled at her date's reluctance to head toward the museum, then began pulling at his arm. Oh come on, Matt. If you're not scared of movie monsters, then you shouldn't be afraid of a dried-up mummy!

After a little more prodding and pleading, she finally got Matthew to agree to go see the exhibit. 

----------

Hellsing Headquarters...

Sir Integra, our psychic detectors have picked up a huge emanation of spiritual energies coming from the downtown Tokyo area, at the museum.

The leader of Hellsing nodded to the officer. That is where the new Egyptian Exhibit is taking place isn't it? And if those artifacts are steeped in supernatural energies, then they are certain to attract those Freak Vampires, and perhaps Demitri Maximov himself.

Standard procedure, Sir Integra?

Yes, and have Alucard and Victoria present as well. The reports are that Jon Talbain's son is nearby and he might get involved in this. I made a promise to Aenslade to look out for Talbain's son, and this may be an opportunity to destroy the Freak Vampire presence in Japan, as well as eliminate a vampire noble.

I imagine that Alucard would be pleased to go up against a powerful foe. The soldier commented.

Indeed. Though I would suggest that a warning be passed among the troops. Whatever happens, they _MUST NOT_ disturb the sarcophagus of the Pharaoh Anakaris. According to the ancient texts that I have read, the curse shall befall whoever desecrates the sacred vessel of the Egyptian King.

Surely you do not believe in such rubbish...

Integra's grim stare immediately silenced her subordinate. Then in a firm tone, she said, You are a member of an ancient organization, with the sole purpose of destroying vampires, and other creatures of the night that threaten the British Empire and the world. We _HAVE_ a powerful vampire lord as our most formidable weapon against these enemies, plus one former police officer who is now his disciple. We are allied with the Aenslade clan, whose heir happens to be a succubus. We are also aware of two members of the most powerful lycanthrope clan in existence. Now, what did you just say about a certain pharaoh's curse?

The young officer gulped and bowed his head in shame. I'll pass the warning to the battle groups. He then left the office in a hurry. 

----------

The Tokyo Museum...

Matthew did not like it. The entire building seemed to be blanketed in the mystical energies of the pharaoh's tomb, which had been building for over three thousand years. It put his mystical senses on high alert and it took all of his willpower not to be overwhelmed by them.

Nabiki of course was unaware of the potential dangers as she frolicked about the displays of gold and bejeweled artifacts. Though she knew that she wouldn't be able to get her hands on any of it, the feeling of being surrounded by such wealth was nice and it allowed her to dream.

You're really into this stuff aren't you? Matthew commented.

Oh, well a girl can dream can't she? Nabiki replied as she gazed upon an elaborate brooch. Ooh, did you ever _SEE_ so much?

Yeah, well it's not like we can have any of it. Matthew shrugged his shoulders and was glad that just about all of the artifacts were made of gold and gemstones, with very little silver about. There wasn't enough to give him more than a mild burn.

Just then, Nabiki began tugging at his arm. Come on! I want to see the pharaoh's sarcophagus!

It's nothing but a fancy coffin, Nabiki. 

Yeah, a coffin that's made of solid gold and decorated with gems and jade! Come on!

As the two headed toward the center of the museum, an ancient presence began to stir. Outside, the sun began to reach the horizon as the creatures of the night prepared to converge on the building.

Things were about to get hairy. 

----------

Matthew grimaced as he and Nabiki stood before the sarcophagus, which was being displayed on a large pedestal. The source of the supernatural energies was centered around the casket and the young werewolf was getting nauseous at the influx of mystical power. 

His date however, was too absorbed into the display to notice that he was getting light-headed. She began reading the inscription's translation located near the foot of the display.

Whoever dares to disturb the eternal slumber of the supreme pharaoh shall be forever cursed by the wrath of... Anakaris.

Hey Nabiki, we've spent enough time here, so why don't we go for a sundae? Matthew suggested. I mean, the museum is going close soon anyway. _And I'm not too sure we should be out after dark._ He mentally added as he looked toward a window and saw the sun touching the horizon. Just about all of the museum's patrons had already left.

Oh just a few minutes okay? This is really interesting stuff. The Tendo girl said as she gazed upon the vessel, which contained the remains of the one, who once ruled Ancient Egypt. Old history had always been something of a hobby for Nabiki, as she had always believed that learning from past mistakes of others, she could make a better future for herself.

It was then that Matthew's animalistic senses went into overdrive. Several smaller sources of supernatural energies began to converge on the building as the last vestiges of daylight faded away. Just then, the lights of the museum went out suddenly, plunging the entire building into darkness.

The middle Tendo daughter was shocked to be suddenly lost in the dark. Her heart rate then pounded like a jackhammer, when a strong hand grabbed at her wrist. 

_WHOA! WHOA!_ Hold on, Nabiki! It's just me! Matthew said quickly to reassure her. He of course, had no problem with the dark, due to his lupine heritage. His night vision was already determining the outlines of the room and his sense of smell had zeroed in on his dates scent. 

Nabiki calmed down at the sound of his voice. What happened to the lights? Did the museum blow a fuse?

I... don't know. Look, we'd better get out of here. Matthew then began leading her to the nearest exit, taking care not to bump into anything.

Soun's daughter was a bit surprised that her date was leading her so easily through the darkness. How was he avoiding the display cases and other artifacts, without stumbling into anything? The main exhibit hall was cluttered with various objects and such. It was difficult to navigate around them when the room was lit, let alone with no lights at all.

I can't see a thing! Are sure you know where we're going?

Positive. Oh, and watch out for that pillar on your left.

_**WHOMP!**_

You okay, Nabiki?

I... think so. How did you know about that pillar? I can't see anything!

I... got a photographic memory for my surroundings. I remember where everything was before the lights went out.

You must have a 3-D memory. She commented as she was being led closer to the exit.

Just then, Matthew stopped as his senses picked up something... evil. His date bumped into his muscular back.

Matthew? What's wrong?

Jon's son said nothing for a long moment as he picked up the ominous footsteps of someone, or some something approaching them. He began to discern several individual footsteps that were definitely not human. Their scents were putrid and reeked of blood. He could feel auras of unending thirst for more blood and the hunger for human flesh. 

Looking about, he saw an alcove, in which a large, oak display case stood. He then whispered to the now nervous girl standing beside him.

Nabiki, there's a large case about ten feet to your left. Hide behind it and don't come out until I tell you.

Huh? What do you mean? What's going on?

No time to explain! Please! You've got to hide now! With those words, he pushed her toward the display case, just as something hideous smashed through the skylight, as well as through several other windows. 

----------

Nabiki landed hard on her stomach behind the case, just as the sounds of shattering windows were heard. She quickly raised up her arms to shield her head from the shards of falling glass and splinters. Then she heard something else. It was a noise that she was very familiar with. After all, she heard it every day at school when Akane pounded on her many admirers, especially Kuno. However, the sounds of combat were much more brutal, as she heard the distinctive snap, crackle and pop of splintering bones, as well as rending flesh. Then there was that smell. The stench of rotting meat and blood. It threatened to overwhelm her, but her innate curiosity won out. She just _HAD_ to see what was going on and what had become of... Matthew?

Due to the broken windows, the light of the street lamps and the half-moon filtered through, allowing her to see the carnage that was being wreaked upon the museum. The dark figures looked like animated corpses, (which in fact they were), as they converged upon one person, who was fighting with all the ferocity of a cornered wolf. And that was the most dangerous kind.

Matthew showed no mercy as he ripped through the ranks of ghouls with punches, slashes, kicks and blows from his nunchakus. He had to finish them off quickly and get Nabiki out, before he was overwhelmed by sheer numbers. He shattered heads, punched holes in torsos and severed limbs, splattering the insides of the ghouls on the floor, coating the tiles in slimy gore. But still, they kept on coming.

The middle Tendo daughter stared in both fear and awe. She was one of the very few to see the Talbain wolf-style at its fiercest. It made Akane's skill look like play-fighting. Matthew displayed a kind of feral brutality, yet also a kind of grace that defied description. He had a strength that was seemingly inhuman, and moved with speed and agility that was simply not to be believed. The monsters fell like bloody dominoes before his power, and every now and then, she would see his fists, legs or weapon glow with an eerie light, making their impacts even more spectacular.

She then gasped as Matthew let loose with a howl and shot forward like a comet. She had seen this move before, but the intensity of the attack made her believe that the last time, he had been holding back. The ghouls let off screams of pain as they were torn apart by Matthew's Beast Cannon. However, as the wolf fighter finished the maneuver, he impacted against the sarcophagus of Anakaris, breaking the seal of the casket and jolting the lid open.

As the lid fell away, an ancient power was released. The ghouls found themselves blinded by a sudden flash of light as the sarcophagus shuddered and trembled. Within it, a massive figure began to rise.

Matthew tensed up into a defensive pose with his nunchakus held out at the ready. His adrenaline was pumping hard and his heart rate accelerated as he saw something that had not walked the Earth for more than three millennia. 

The mummy had awakened from his slumber.

The cloth-wrapped horror was over nine feet tall and was more massive than a sumo wrestler. He wore the ceremonial headdress of the pharaoh, and on his wrists were banded bracers. His face was mostly wrapped in cloth, but the young werewolf could make out some of the rotted flesh of his visage. The eyes were empty, dry sockets, but they glowed with a ghostly light as they focused in on him.

The mindless ghouls began to attack the newcomer, but Anakaris considered them as nothing more than annoyances. As they came upon him, the undead ruler of Egypt raised his arms and cried out with a ghastly shout. The ghouls began to shrivel into dry husks as their essences were being drained away. In less than an instant, all of the remaining blood-hungry creatures were reduced to piles of ash, courtesy of the Pharaoh's Curse.

Then, Anakaris turned his attention toward Matthew and attacked.

It took all of the werewolf's speed and agility to evade, as the mummy's arms suddenly stretched out and the hands became gigantic serpent heads. The fangs dripped acidic venom as they missed their target and blasted the wall behind him. However, Matthew was not in the clear as the mummy retracted his arms, then changed its body shape, catching him off-guard by floating above him, and delivering a downward chop with his right arm.

Before he could recover, Matthew found himself trapped in Anakaris' grasp. The undead king's wrappings became alive like snakes and coiled about his victim, threatening to squeeze the life out of him. He began to black out and knew that there was no choice. With a howl, he triggered his transformation to hybrid form. In a flash, he used his claws to cut himself free. 

----------

At that point, Nabiki beheld the true nature of Matthew Ookami Talbain! And he looked _FAR_ more awesome than any movie monster. She could see why he hadn't thought that film they saw wasn't scary. 

Normally, an opportunity such as this would have meant big yen to her, but earning money was the furthest thing from her mind at the moment. She could scarcely believe all this was real, even it was happening right in front of her. And her gaze became fixed upon her werewolf date as he battled against the mummified king of Ancient Egypt. 

_He's a werewolf! A real, **LIVE WEREWOLF**! Wow. He's... incredible!_

Nabiki couldn't tear her eyes off the muscular, furry figure, as he darted about Anakaris' attacks and retaliated in kind. She had seen martial arts battles in the past, but none compared to what she witnessed this night. Especially fighting against a shape-shifting, undead pharaoh. 

----------

Matthew let loose with a howl as he charged in with another Beast Cannon Attack, this time at full power. However, Anakaris anticipated the move and became as solid as his sarcophagus, deflecting the charge. Both fighters were pushed backward, but Matthew was stunned by the sudden reversal and momentarily unbalanced. The mummy took this opportunity for a sneak attack. He created a small hole in the air and put his hands into it. Another hole appeared behind the werewolf as Anakaris' hands appeared out of it and reached for his target.

_MATTHEW! BEHIND YOU!_

Acting on pure instinct to Nabiki's scream, Jon's son pivoted on one foot and sent his other leg up into another of his father's signature moves.

_CLIMB RAZOR!_

The energized, flying somersault kick severed the bandaged hands from their wrists, causing the mummy to let off a cry of pain, as he retracted his limbs. However, the pharaoh rose into the air as his stumps regenerated their extremities. Then he glowed with power as he swiped down with his hands at his opponent.

Matthew's danger instincts went off as he jumped forward, just as something massive crashed down behind him. Looking up and behind him, he saw several large, ghostly images of the sarcophagus falling down toward him. However, as they rained down on him, the werewolf took evasive action, dodging each projectile. At this point, he knew that he had to finish off this fight and now!

As he got close enough to his foe, Matthew blasted forward into a Beast Cannon at near-point-blank range. This caught Anakaris off-guard and slammed him backward. Then the young werewolf let loose with his strongest technique.

_DRAGON CANNON!_

Focusing his ki and supernatural energies, he held out his nunchakus and released that power in the form of seven, flame images of wolves, contained in a stream that resembled a dragon's fiery breath. Anakaris was caught fully by the blast and was reduced into a charred carcass on the museum floor. The mummy let off an inhuman shriek as it was transformed into ashes. Then all became silent.

Matthew panted hard as he braced himself against a display case. The fight had taken nearly everything out of him, and he was certain that he could not fight any more this night. But at least, it was over.

_CHAOS FLARE!_

The fireball caught the werewolf completely by surprise, as it burned into his back and caused great pain. The wolf fighter fell forward, losing his grip on his nunchakus. Even his accelerated regenerative abilities would not heal the wound quickly, especially due to the projectile's magical properties. Before Matthew could recover, a dark figure appeared before his fallen form. With impossible speed, Demitri Maximov grabbed hold of his victim by the throat and hauled him up with one hand. The vampire smiled, showing off his fangs as he gazed upon his captive.

Well now. If it isn't Talbain's whelp. I still must pay you back for interrupting my meal that last time.

Arrrgh! Let go... you blood-sucking.... bastard! Matthew snarled as he tried to pry himself from Maximov's grip. However, he was in no condition to go up against a vampire noble, especially after being weakened from his earlier fight with the ghouls and Anakaris.

Demitri paid no heed to Matthew's words as he considered what to do with him. Killing him was of course, first on the agenda, and the death of this youngster, would most certainly be a fitting revenge against Talbain.

At that moment, he felt a certain hunger. Like Alucard, Demitri had no taste for werewolf blood, so draining Matthew would not do. He wanted to have something nice and warm to slake his thirst. The blood of a virgin would be best, and that was when he sensed the presence of just such a person. Smiling, he looked over to where Nabiki was hiding and cast his hypnotic gaze upon her.

Come to me. The noble ordered. 

----------

Nabiki was already in a state of shock when the vampire noble appeared and had Matthew's life by the throat. When he began staring at her with those eyes, she felt her body stiffen and rebel against her mind. Slowly but surely, she started to emerge from behind the display case and walk toward the blood-sucker. Her soul screamed out in protest, but her voice remained silent as she neared Maximov.

Leave... her... alone! Matthew snarled, then called out to Nabiki. _NABIKI! WAKE UP! DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! RUN AWAY!_

However the Tendo girl, like her elder sister before her, was completely in Maximov's power as she stopped before them and raised her head up, exposing her throat to the vampire.

Demitri smiled as he bent his head down and opened his mouth toward her warm...

_**BA-KOOM!**_

Demitri was thrown backward as something impacted with his right shoulder, causing his to release his hold on both Talbain's son and Nabiki. The injured werewolf dropped to the floor as the girl shook herself out of her trance. It was then that she heard a compelling voice in her head.

_Take the werewolf and get out here girl._

Nabiki didn't know what was happening, but when she looked down and saw the battered form of Matthew, she immediately knelt down and grabbed hold of one arm. She was momentarily fascinated by his furry, but well-defined form, then focused at the task at hand.

The werewolf was barely conscious as he staggered to his feet and leaned against the girl for support. The two made their way out of the building, just as Demitri roared in pain and anguish. 

----------

Maximov was enraged that his feeding was once again interrupted, as well as being denied the chance to destroy Talbain's son. As he got to his feet, he looked down at his shoulder and winced as he felt a familiar burning sensation. It felt as if someone had stabbed him with the silver of a holy cross. A mere bullet would not have caused him such pain. So what had he been shot with and by whom...?

Hello there, Maximov. Long time no see.

The vampire looked up and saw a certain figure standing in the rafters of the ceiling. He became even more enraged as he recognized the figure, who happened to be holding a smoking gun, which happened to fire bullets made from a smelted blessed cross.

Alucard smiled as he levitated down to face off against his adversary. The two vampire lords stared each other down as their dark energies filled the entire building, like a shadowy blanket.

You filthy traitor! Demitri snarled. I have not forgotten you or Talbain, the last time we met! And I have also heard that you now serve a human master, as a vampire killer! How pathetic that one of our kind now hunts his own!

That is _NONE_ of your concern. Alucard said simply as he leveled his gun at his target, aiming for the heart, (relatively speaking for a vampire). 

You call yourself a vampire lord? I can sense that you have killed many of our kind! I can also smell the stench of your human master about you! You willingly serve the mortals?! We are the masters of darkness and the humans are but food to us! Do you seek the extinction of our race?!

Alucard paused for a long time, before finally replying with a fanged smile. 

_**BA-KOOM! **_

To be continued...

Author's Notes

With new inspiration and ideas, plus a _LOT_ of feedback from my readers, Beast Within is really taking off and I decided that it will become a regular fic. However, like Yin and Yang, I have to give up one of my other stories to make time for it, and so I'm afraid that Gundam Warblade will be regulated into the discontinued pile for now. In any case, the next chapter will be about Nabiki's reaction to Matthew's family secret and of course, the battle between two of the baddest vampires in anime. See you there.

(1) Remember, Ryoga has been brainwashed into thinking he's Ranma. Matthew is really Ranma.

(2) Well, what did you expect? Did you think Ryoga could keep his secret from Akane without Ranma?

(3) Remember that Genma has raised Ryoga, as he did with Ranma, so of course, he would instill that I'm-the-best' attitude. 


	5. Chapter 4: History

**THE BEAST WITHIN**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2, Darkstalkers, Hellsing and whatever else I decide to add to the insanity belong to their respective creators.

**Chapter 4**

History

The Tokyo Museum shuddered as two of the most destructive vampire lords on Earth battled it out.

_**BA-KOOM!**_

Demitri bit down on the pain as another one of Alucard's silver rounds shot through his left arm. He hissed as he levitated himself above his opponent, then disappeared in a cloud of mist.

Alucard smiled as he used his own vampire senses to search for his opponent. He was enjoying this fight. He hadn't been so entertained since that confrontation with Incognito. Demitri was not like those Freak Vampires, or else Alucard's explosive, blessed silver bullets would have torn him apart on impact. They were doing damage, but weren't killing him... yet. It would take many shots to destroy the bloodsucking noble. That suited Alucard just fine. That meant that the fun would last all night!

Demitri reappeared just above his foe and dived down feet first. His bat wings surrounded this lower trunk like a drill and he smiled evilly as he dug into Alucard's chest, causing gore and fluids to splatter all over the exhibits.

However, the Hellsing agent had been waiting for such a move. At this range, he couldn't miss. Raising his gun and pointing it at Demitri's face, he pulled the trigger.

_**BA-BOOM!**_

Demetri shrieked as his face exploded into flame, forcing him backward. As for Alucard, he staggered slightly, but stood on his feet, with a huge, bloody hole in his chest. He disregarded the injury as a minor annoyance. In seconds, the gaping tear sealed itself up. His opponent however, was not quite as fortunate. His face was now disfigured with frayed and burned flaps of skin hanging off it. However, his rage made him ignore the injury as he glared at the undead warrior in the red trenchcoat.

You will pay for that! The vampire noble roared.

I'd like to see you collect! Alucard retorted.

With another roar of fury, Demitri suddenly transformed into multiple red bats and swarmed Alucard with a vengeance. Numerous slash marks appeared all over his body as the Demon Horde technique threatened to cut him to ribbons.

The bats reunited together to form Maximov again, but this time he was behind Alucard. Not giving him a chance to recover, he focused his power and let loose with a _HUGE_ fireball.

_DEMON FLARE!_

The blast caught Alucard squarely in the back, sending him flying forward several meters, causing him to crash into several display cases. When he got back to his feet, Integra's dark servant looked down at his gun and saw that the slide and barrel were cracked and useless. With a sigh, he threw the broken weapon away, while Maximov began to taunt him.

Oh, did I break the toy that your human master gave to you? He laughed mockingly at his foe.

Alucard was not amused as he held up both gloved hands, and displayed the mystic seals imprinted on the back of each hand. I liked that gun. It let me deal with minor annoyances without having to soil my hands with their filth. Then again, I suppose there is something to be said to working with one's own hands. The symbols on his hands began to glow as Alucard began to grow in power. Release Limiters...Level 3.

Maximov laughed even harder as he continued to mock the other vampire. Hah! You even let your human master restrain your true power!

Alucard however, grinned at Demitri's ignorance. The younger vampires never did respect their elders. Demitri was a mere eight centuries old. Alucard had already been ancient by the time Integra Wingates had found him in her family's cellar. (1)

Actually, I find it rather challenging to defeat a powerful foe with a minimal amount of power. It is _SO_ boring to crush your foes with overwhelming strength. I believe Level Three should be sufficient.

You should fight me with _ALL_ your power, if you think to defeat me! You needed the help of that werewolf, the last time we met! Demitri powered up for another assault.

How very little you know, Maximov. I wasn't exactly myself, ten years ago. However, I won't need Talbain's help this time. And you should know better than to disrespect your elders.

At that moment, the vampire lords let loose with massive blasts of dark energy. Demitri fired off another Demon Flare, but Alucard released a wave of darkness that snuffed out all light, including the evil energies of Demitri's attack. The Demon Flare was swallowed up into the shadows, and the vampire noble realized that he was up against a foe that was far more fearsome than he imagined. The darkness that Alucard summoned up was much colder than even he had ever experienced. In moments, he was enveloped by the shadows and it felt as if an infinite number of fangs were digging into his body, draining the essences he had stolen from others and sapping his power. In a sheer twist of irony, one vampire was sucking the other dry. 

----------

Outside of the museum, Seras Victoria and the other Hellsing troops were busy taking care of the remaining ghouls that were lurking about. They had been ordered not to enter the building until Alucard had dealt with Maximov. 

As the disciple of Alucard blew away several of the Freak Vampires, her supernatural senses detected two presences making their way away from the museum via the rear exit. Her night vision made out the form of a teenage girl and a certain werewolf leaning against her. Seras recognized the injured form of Matthew Talbain. She considered calling in some of the troops to help them, but all hands were busy dealing with the undead. However, she made certain that the two would get away, by laying down a barrage of covering fire. 

----------

Nabiki strained hard as she continued to help her potential love interest to safety. 

She found it a bit odd for her to think of him as such, especially after all she had seen this night, and yet it felt right for some reason. So he becomes more hairy during a full moon. That made him more... interesting and she was beginning to like men with hairy chests, especially well-muscled ones. And he did fight to protect her from those other monsters. In this form, he had even more animal magnetism about him and his exotic appearance was curiously appealing. Forget those fake movie werewolves. Being this close to the real thing made her heart beat like a jackhammer, but not out of fear. His scent was like a heady musk aftershave and it tingled her nose. His fur was lush and almost silken in texture.

_I wonder what kind of conditioner he uses? What am I thinking?_

Matthew was lighter than she had expected, despite the increase in height and musculature. They managed to get more than a block away from the museum, when it suddenly exploded in a pillar of dark energy. The shockwaves of the blast caused nearby store windows to shatter and the ground to tremble. 

Nabiki stumbled and nearly fell flat on her face, when a strong, furry arm snaked around her waist and braced her. She looked to her lycanthrope date as he smiled at her, showing some impressive fangs.

The werewolf nodded. Thanks for getting my furry butt out of there. His ears then twitched as they picked up the distant sounds of police sirens and fire alarms. Uh, I know this our first date, but would you mind if I took you to my place?

Normally, Nabiki would have slapped a boy for suggesting something like that, but in this case she made an exception and nodded.

Feeling some of his strength return, he immediately swept her off her feet, and leapt up to a nearby rooftop. In mere moments, he was bounding across the tops of buildings and houses and was gone from the scene. 

----------

Later...

Jon Talbain was getting worried as he had not yet heard from his son. Matthew had promised to return before nightfall, but it was getting very late. He was about to go out and look for him when he heard a light knock at the front door. When he opened the door, he was quite surprised to see his son, in hybrid form, being supported by a short-haired girl. She timidly waved at him, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that she knew about the family secret.

Hello Mr. Talbane. I'm Nabiki Tendo. 

----------

A few minutes later...

Jon offered as he and Nabiki sat in the living room. Matthew was in his room, resting up from his battle with Anakaris.

Uh, thank you. The girl nodded as she held up the cup to her lips, and took a sip. This is a very nice blend.

I picked it up in Brussels last month. Now then, I would like to know just what kind of impression you made, for my son to have revealed our family secret on the first date.

Soun's daughter gulped as she looked into Jon's eyes. This was not like talking to her emotional father or one of Furinken's teachers. She could see some of Jon's features in Matthew as they both emitted a kind of feral presence that warranted extreme caution. You did _NOT_ want to get them mad at you.

Jon noted that her hand was slightly trembling as the cup rattled against the saucer. That was to be expected. She kept on gazing at him, as if she was waiting for him to grow another head... or in his case, sprout fur, fangs, claws and a tail. He could practically _SMELL_ her anxiety.

His expression softened as he said in a more comforting tone, I'm not going to bite, Ms. Tendo... unless you _GIVE_ me a reason to. I just want to know what happened tonight. And to answer the questions running about in your mind, yes, I do change with the full moon, and no, I'm not like those things that are shown on the late-night horror channel.

This assurance got her to calm down as she began to slowly describe the events of the night. When she finished fifteen minutes later, Matthew's father nodded and sighed.

Well, I suppose Matthew had no choice, especially going up against an undead Egyptian king. And you say that you saw two vampires?

The girl shuddered as she remembered how close Demitri's fangs were from giving her the nightmare of all hickeys. Then she remembered glimpsing that other bloodsucker with the trenchcoat. I'm not sure which one was scarier. The one that almost bit me or the one with the big gun.

The one with the big gun, definitely. I should know. Alucard's a friend of mine.

Nabiki's eyes widened at his casual comment. _YOU'RE FRIENDS WITH A VAMPIRE?!_ When Jon gave her a cynical expression, she immediately bowed her head. Sorry. After all I saw, that was a stupid question... She became silent for a very long time, as her mind took in all that she had witnessed and tried to make sense of the whole thing. Werewolves, vampires and mummies... oh my! She smiled a bit as she heard Kasumi's catchphrase in her head. Now the big question was, what was she going to do?

She finally looked up to face Matthew's father again and asked. So... are all of your family...?

Jon held up a hand as his sensitive hearing picked up a sound coming from his son's room. I believe that I will let my son answer all the questions you may have about our family... if he so chooses. Now the only question I have for you, Ms. Tendo, is what are you going to do, once you know?

Nabiki gulped again as she considered her options. 

Now the Tabain family represented a potential goldmine. With the money she could make off two actual werewolves, she could set herself and the Tendo clan for life. The near-infinite possibilities had her mind almost spinning. Scientists would pay through the nose to experiment on their transforming ability and hybrid forms. Contracts in the movie business would be very lucrative. Then there were thoughts of commercial endorsements, publicity stunts and entertainment possibilities. She could make more yen in a month than all of her other businesses could in ten years!

Then her reasonable side began considering the more realistic aspects of her situation. Two powerful, supernatural beings could mean instant death for her, if they did not wish to be exploited. Though Matthew's father had assured her that she would not be harmed, he had also told her that he wouldn't bite unless she gave him a reason to. Then there was the fact that Matthew had risked his life to save her. She couldn't just use him like that after he had fought to protect her from those monsters. And there were her feelings for him as well. He was the only boy who had ever paid attention to her and... 

Nabiki blushed as she remembered how... (okay she admitted it), sexy he looked in his hybrid form. That exotic and feral body had really given her libido a charge. She liked how fine his fur was, and those muscles underneath...

The girl sighed as she realized that her emotions were heavily involved in this matter, which of course, upset her usual calculations. So, she decided to take the more, conservative approach, which was to gather more information. Above everything else, she had to know everything about her... boyfriend.

_Boyfriend... I like the sound of that._

At that point, Jon's son entered the living room. He was back in his human form and nearly all of his injuries had healed. He was currently only dressed in his pants with his chest bare. As he stood at the doorway, Matthew gazed upon Soun's middle daughter for a long time, then spoke to his father.

Dad? I think it's too late to take Nabiki home, so why not let her spend the night here?

Jon nodded as he addressed her. I think that would be best. We should call your home and tell your family, that you'll be staying here.

Well, I... Nabiki began, but Matthew's father cut her off.

We _INSIST_, Ms. Tendo. The streets are not exactly what one would call safe at night. Especially after what you two had just went through, wouldn't you say? It would be best that we wait until morning.

She had to agree with him on that point. With vampires and ghouls roaming about, waiting for daybreak would be the most sensible thing to do. Still, that would mean that she would be in the same apartment with two werewolves for the night, and that made her very uneasy. Then again, given the choice, she'd rather be with two werewolves, than with two vampires and a horde of bloodthirsty ghouls. She nodded as she was directed toward the phone. 

----------

Speaking of vampires...

The Tokyo Museum had been totally demolished, as the Hellsing troops searched the rubble for any surviving ghouls, or signs of the vampire noble Demitri Maximov. They were also in the midst of creating a cover-up to fool the authorities, destroying all evidence of what had occurred this night. The lie was that burglars had tried to rob the Egyptian Exhibit and had set a fire to make it look like arson. 

Standing nearby with his disciple, Alucard surveyed the carnage he had wrought and chuckled. Though the fight had technically ended with no clear winner, (Alucard's opponent had escaped), the Hellsing vampire had enjoyed the battle. He was looking forward to going up against Demitri again, once Maximov recovered from being nearly annihilated. That'll teach him to respect his elders! 

----------

Flying above Tokyo, a battered and nearly dead bat struggled to keep aloft. Demitri was in serious pain! He had not expected his opponent to be so formidable! For a vampire to have achieved _THAT_ level of mastery over the dark forces meant that Alucard was indeed older than Maximov. A _LOT_ older!

However, Jon Talbain's arch-enemy was not going to forget this insult. Older or not, he _WILL_ have his revenge upon the Hellsing agent. If he could not attack Alucard directly, then perhaps he could strike through his human master and others close to him.

For now, he needed to find a place to recover... and replenish his power. 

----------

I'll be fine, Daddy! Nabiki assured, as she spoke to her father on the phone. No, you don't have to come pick me up. Besides, it's much safer if I stay here. Daddy! I'm a big girl now! Besides, Matthew's father insisted and says that he'll bring me directly back home first thing in the morning. Don't worry! But...

Allow me. Jon said as he took the receiver from Nabiki. Hello? Mr. Tendo? I'm Matthew's father, Johnny Talbane. Yes, my son and I had decided that it would be too dangerous for Nabiki to return home tonight. I'm certain that by now, you've heard the news about the museum exploding. Yes, a terrible thing and it was fortunate that our kids got out before it happened. No, no, your daughter is safe. In fact, she was the one who helped my son when he was injured, and in return, I'm offering her the hospitality of my home. Would you please calm down, Tendo-san? Don't worry! I promise you that my son will be on his best behavior, and that Nabiki will retain her purity.

The middle Tendo daughter blushed as she heard that part of the conversation. Okay, she was a virgin, but her father didn't have to embarrass her like that! She could only imagine Soun going into his Demon Head right now.

Mr. Tendo! Nabiki will be safe! So drop it! Jon's voice became lower and lot more forceful. He also growled... like a wolf. This caused the other man on the line to squeak meekly. Nabiki was quite surprised to hear her father suddenly go from emotional ranting to absolute compliance, just from a change in Jon's voice. It was then that she noticed that Matthew's father looked more agitated, like a wolf that was about tear into an annoying pest.

Thank you Mr. Tendo. We'll bring back Nabiki at around 7:00 AM tomorrow. Good night.

Jon sighed as he hung up the phone. Just before the receiver came down on the hook, Nabiki caught some snatches of someone else screaming angrily. She could guess who that was.

Well, now that we've settled that, He turned to Matthew, who was now dressed for bed and had some spare clothes for their guest. Son, is everything ready?

The younger werewolf nodded as he led the girl to his room. 

----------

So this is the room of a werewolf. Nabiki commented as she looked about Matthew's room. She then gave him a smirk. Or should I call this your den?

Matthew retorted as he showed her a pair of futons laid out on the floor. The room itself was utilitarian, with very little to show in the way of the personality of its occupant. There was a closet, a desk, and a small dresser-drawer. As Nabiki sat down on one of the futons, he handed her a set of clothes. Here. I hope these will fit.

She took the offered garments and looked them over. They consisted of a pair of flannel pants and shirt, which she could use as temporary sleepwear. She assumed they were his, considering they were larger than what she normally wore to bed.

Matthew then gestured to the bathroom. You can go wash up if you want to.

Thank you, I think I will. 

----------

As Nabiki stood in the shower and let the warm waters wash away the tension she had built up during this night, she let off a contented sigh, and began to think about the boy who was waiting in the next room. She had so many questions and didn't know where to start. She was in the home of real werewolves! She had seen actual vampires, ghouls and a walking mummy! She wondered if reality had decided to leave the world and turn fantasy into fact. 

As a little girl, she had always stood by reason and logic. There was no time in her childhood for play and imagination. Not after her mother had passed away. She had been forced to grow up, when her father reverted to being an immature crybaby. With Kasumi wrapped up in the household chores and Akane wrapped up in her martial arts, it was up to her to manage the finances and keep them from ending up on the streets. She had been too busy with facts and figures, to enjoy playing make-believe with the other kids. Her mother's life insurance policy ran out when she was twelve, and being too young to get a job, and her father losing all of his students by that time, Nabiki had to resort to less than honorable ways to earn income. She wasn't proud of what she had done, but it was something that had to be done, and at least she could control it. And in order to do those things, she had to suspend her sense of morals. Emotions would only hamper her, and to keep the family going, she could not let things such as guilt get in the way.

Now, things had gotten more serious and she wondered if she could actually go through with this... 

----------

Demitri couldn't believe he was going through with this. To think that a vampire lord would be reduced to these desperate measures!

His battle with Alucard had nearly depleted all of his power and he needed to feed! However, he was so badly injured and powerless that he couldn't even entrance a victim and drain his or her blood. And so he was forced to resort to other means to sate his bloodlust. To that end he managed to break into a hospital's basement through a broken window, and was now just entering the building's Blood Bank.

The bat shivered in the cold storage unit, as he looked up at the rows and rows of containers filled with whole blood and plasma. Though the precious fluids would replenish his power, he hated the idea of taking the blood from this place. He wanted to sink his fangs into the warm throat of a victim, not the cold, sterile bags that were kept here. He could have attempted to sneak into a patient's room and pounce upon a sedated victim, but in his weakened state, he couldn't risk discovery by a nurse. The other option was to drain the cadavers that were in the morgue, but who knew what kind of preservatives and chemicals were tainting the blood in them. The idea of sucking blood from corpses was repugnant to him. He wasn't like those mindless ghouls and Freak Vampires that he had heard about.

With a sigh of resignation, Demitri flapped up to the nearest shelf... 

----------

Taking a deep breath, Nabiki came out of the bathroom and entered Matthew's bedroom. The makeshift pajamas she wore were somewhat baggy on her more slender form, but they would suffice. She saw Matthew in his human form, sitting near the doorway to the apartment's balcony, and staring absently up at the stars and the moon in particular. The werewolf seemed at peace as he gazed at the orb in the sky.

Nabiki slowly walked toward him, then quietly sat down opposite to him. Nothing was said between them for the longest time, then she opened her mouth to speak. However, Matthew beat her to the punch...

Yes, it's all true Nabiki. I'm a werewolf, my Dad's a werewolf, and so have all my male ancestors for the last two thousand years.

The Tendo girl tried to think of how to break the tension between them. There was just so much she wanted to know. All of your... male ancestors...?

Uh huh. Matthew continued to look up at the sky while answering her. That's the power... and the curse of the Talbain family. If you're a boy, you're most definitely going to grow fangs, fur and claws, not to mention have a deadly allergy to silver.

Talbain? Don't you mean Talbane?

Nope. I'm talking about my real family name. The Talbain's have been around for a long time.

At that point, Matthew began telling her about the history of the strongest lycanthrope clan in the world.

My old man told me about our family. Around the year 50 BC, a member of a noble family of Great Britain had become saddled with lycanthropy, while trying to find a cure for a strange plague that was sweeping the nation. None of the healers or mystics at that time could find the reason for the sudden sickness. The only thing they could determine was that the plague was somehow connected to phases of the moon.

The moon? Nabiki asked.

Matthew nodded. You may think of it as just a big hunk of rock circling the Earth, but it happens to represent a _LOT_ more. It's a source of power, reflecting light off the sun and stars, as well as being a place in which other supernatural forces tend to congregate, depending on its position from the Earth.

You don't really expect me to believe... Nabiki then stopped as Matthew looked at her with a cynical expression. Right, I keep forgetting who I'm talking to. _And then again, there's those Jusenkyo curses of the Saotomes..._

Uh huh. Well, anyway my distant ancestor was a herbalist. He came across a very rare plant, which seemed to thrive in moonlight. It had very sharp thorns and amazingly, its flowers bloomed only once a century, during the time of a full moon. He thought it may hold the secret to a cure to the plague. And so he used some of the plant's thorns in a potion, along with some other ingredients... and tested it on himself.

He used it on himself?

He too was affected by the plague. He had hoped that his mixture would work, and it did... too well.

He was cured?

In a sense. He was rendered forever immune to the plague, but in doing so, he sealed the fate of the Talbain family forever. The plant he used was a rare vegetation that was later named as the Luna Thorn. It was highly affected by the light of the full moon and it now ran in his blood.

And that's what turned him into a werewolf?

Not quite. There was a second catalyst that was needed. A few days later, my ancestor had been attacked by a pack of wolves, while walking through the forest. Several of those wolves managed to tear and bite into his flesh, before he was able to drive them away. However, that was during the night of a full moon and the Luna Thorn potion he had taken began to react, along with the wolf bites and claw marks he had sustained. On that night, the Talbains became a werewolf clan when that member transformed into something that was part man... and part wolf.

And the plague?

Now that's a bit of irony. Matthew said with a snort. After the moon had gone through its lunar phases, the plague disappeared as quickly as it had started. All those who had not died, soon recovered. If my ancestor had simply waited, he could have gotten better and the Talbains would never be carrying the wolf-curse to this day.

So now you change during the nights of a full moon?

Well, in a way. Over the centuries, we Talbains have learned to control the beast within. In demonstration, Matthew triggered his transformation to his hybrid form. This startled the girl a bit, but she soon became very fascinated by his larger, exotic body. When Matthew changed back, he continued on.

Though we eventually learned how to control the transformation, we still needed to harness the animalistic urges that came with our new forms. To that end, we began to study the martial arts, eventually creating the school known as the Talbain Wolf-Fist.

Nabiki nodded as she took in the information. So you said before that only the males of your family become werewolves?

Pretty much. The werewolf traits were passed down from generation to generation, and every male descendant have always become werewolves.

_Hmmm, it could be because the werewolf traits must be somehow connected to the Y-chromosome..._ Nabiki thought.

Usually the werewolf thing starts when the boy turns thirteen or so. Matthew added.

_Around puberty. Makes sense. Hormone changes kicks in and... instant werewolf. Interesting..._

In my case, it happened a lot sooner.

What do you mean?

I was six when I first became a werewolf.

What happened?

I'd... rather not talk about that.

Nabiki could tell by the look in his eyes, that it was a sore subject. She then changed to another topic. So, what's being a werewolf like?

He shrugged as he replied. Well, it can be really cool. I mean, I'm stronger, faster and I heal real well. I can see, hear and smell things that you can't.

I figured as much. Nabiki nodded as she remembered back to that time in the museum. Three dimensional memory, my butt. You can see in the dark, right?

Uh, sorry about lying to you about that. I wasn't sure if you'd accept my... you know?

Okay, I'll give you that. But it's not like I don't believe in magic, especially when I've got a couple of really weird people living in my house.

Huh? You mean the Saotomes? Matthew asked. _That would explain that weirdness I sensed from that guy... Ranma._

You got it. You see they when they came to our place... 

----------

Flashback...

_THIS IS YOUR FRIEND?!_ Nabiki asked with shock as she and the rest of her family stared up at a soaking wet, giant panda, who happened to be carrying two large backpacks with one arm and a small piglet in the other. The oinker was squealing and tried to get himself out of the panda's grip, but the panda held on, even when the porkchop began biting. Outside the Tendo home, the rain continued.

Akane stood with some relief. Apparently, her father's friend and that... _BOY_, had decided not to come and fulfill this stupid pledge business. Well that suited her just fine. She then decided to take a bath. She had worked up quite a sweat in her training and then noticed the cute little pig in the panda's arms. The poor little thing was soaked to the bone and looked downright miserable. She decided that a good hot soak was what it needed. 

----------

Oh come on P-chan! Don't be afraid! I'm sure that a nice hot soak will do us both a world of good!

The piglet struggled in Akane's arms as she was about to disrobe and enter the tub. It most definitely did not want to be immersed in the hot water, but...

**_SPLASH!_**

----------

End of flashback...

It turned out that Akane's little pet P-Chan was actually her future fiancé and well... she reacted. Now we got to pay to have the roof fixed.

So let me get this straight. This... Ranma person changes into a piglet with water? Matthew asked. _Hmmmm, that would explain that extra scent I smelled when I met him._

Yeah. Cold water turns him into a pig, and hot water changes him back. He and his father have some kind of curse from a place called... Jus... Jus... something...

Matthew supplied.

Yeah! That's it. It was some training ground in China they went to. How do you know about it?

Well, me and my Dad have been around the world too. We made a stop in China to train under an old friend of my Dad's and we've been to Jusenkyo.

Do you have a curse too?

Nope. We didn't know what the springs did, but my Dad and I decided to listen to the guide and avoid them.

Heh. That's a lot more than I can say for the Saotomes. Ranma's father didn't even bother to learn why Jusenkyo was called a cursed training ground. He didn't even bother to learn to read or speak a word of Chinese when he dragged Ranma there.

_Hmpf! Sounds like Pops all right. I pity that poor guy who's supposed to be me._ The werewolf then noticed that it was getting late and decided to turn in. He let off a yawn and motioned for the futons. Well it's getting late so I think we'd better go to sleep now.

But, there's still so much I want to know and...

We can talk some more in the morning, okay? 

----------

The next day...

Nabiki awoke early and looked about the room to see Matthew gone. His futon was rolled up and put away, and there was no sign of him. It was then that she heard the sounds of fighting behind the apartment. She walked over to the balcony and saw two figures out in an abandoned lot. The location was surrounded by other buildings, shielding it from sight and giving the two the opportunity to spar in privacy.

She became fascinated as she watched Jon Talbain and his son exchange blows and move with unbelievable grace and speed. She noted that Matthew was not showing any signs of the injuries he had sustained the night before. As he had told her previously, his recuperative abilities were phenomenal. 

The Talbain fighting style seemed to resemble acrobatic martial arts such as kung fu. The Talbains fought with an emphasis on mobility, speed and quick strikes. They were not above using weapons as Jon pulled out a pair of nunchakus, which his son followed suit. Each maneuver was precise and designed to be effective and direct, using only enough power to do the job. They didn't care for flashiness and each move wasted no energy.

She could even see some similarities to the Saotome Anything Goes Martial Arts, which focused on mid-air combat, especially with Matthew. She found it odd to see him move with some characteristics of Genma and Ranma's fighting style. Her eyes then widened as the two decided to kick it up a notch, by switching to their hybrid forms. It was unusual to see werewolves in broad daylight, but she became even more intrigued as the Talbains demonstrated the full extent of their fighting style, moving at even more insane speeds and exchanging kicks and punches. To Nabiki, it looked as if they had become two furry streaks of lightning.

The battle neared its climax as Matthew blasted forward in his Beast Cannon move. However, Jon easily anticipated the maneuver and countered with his own. The elder werewolf hit his son's attack head on, then redirected his momentum upward. The sudden change in motion caught Matthew off-guard as he was sent flying skyward. His father pressed the attack by rocketing up, then changed direction several times, bouncing his offspring about like a pinball. Matthew landed hard on the ground on his back, and his father came down to end the match.

_**WHOMP!**_

Nabiki winced as she watched Jon slam his knees into his son's belly. She reasoned that in their hybrid forms, they could dish out and take more damage. If Akane had received such a blow, then she'd be out like a light. 

----------

Jon sighed as he helped his son to his feet. Son, I've told you time and time again, the Beast Cannon can be used for more than just a frontal assault.

Yeah... I still need to work on that... Matthew agreed as he changed back to his human form. His father did so as well.

Both looked up toward their apartment and saw Nabiki quickly going back into Matthew's room. They smiled as they headed inside for breakfast. 

----------

Later that morning...

Matthew and Nabiki headed back to the Tendo home and continued their conversation from the previous night.

So, is it true that when a werewolf bites someone, then he or she becomes a werewolf too? Nabiki asked.

Well... yeah, but it's a little more complicated than what you've seen on TV. Matthew replied as he reached into the front of his shirt and pulled out a small, decorative pendant. But, as long as I wear this, I don't have to worry about it.

Can I see? What is it? With his assent, she reached out and held up the pendant for a closer look. She was very interested in the gold-colored piece of jewelry, which was shaped like a wolf's head.

Well, it was discovered early on that the curse of lycanthropy can be spread through a bite, but the victim becomes a weaker, more unstable version of the original. At times, the person can lose himself in the animalistic urges of his form. Those affected tend to become nothing more than mindless beasts. There were a rare few that did manage to retrain their humanity, but those were under very special cases. My ancestors developed special talismans to keep ourselves from carelessly spreading the curse of the werewolf.

The Tendo girl had briefly entertained the thought of becoming an exotic she-wolf, but if she had to risk losing her humanity, then perhaps it would not be a good idea.

The teen wolf then chuckled at a memory. There were times, in which a few people asked me and my Dad to bite them.

Oh yeah. You see, there are a few people who are already aware of the existence of werewolves, and some have requested to be bitten in order to gain a portion of our power... 

----------

Somewhere in China...

(translated from Mandarin)

In a small, rustic village, deep in the Bayankala Mountain Range, a group of warrior women were discussing a problem, which had recently come up. It was a problem of a supernatural nature, and they only knew of a certain family of werewolves with experience in such matters.

We cannot allow this condition to continue. An Amazon elder known as Mascara declared as she and the other members of the council sat in the main conference hut. That spirit is causing havoc around the quarries.

Another elder by the name of Cologne remarked. However, that ghost has resisted all attempts to contain it. Spirit Wards have proven to be ineffective and our strongest warriors cannot fight against such a foe. We should have known better than to have ignored the ancient warnings and dug into that area.

It was an accident! A third elder named Lotion claimed. The miners did not know that the Ancient Seal of Hsien Ko and Mei Lin was there. The records to its location had been lost for centuries.

Now is not the time to lay the blame on anyone. Cologne pointed out. The real issue is what to do about this problem. Hsien Ko has hampered work in the quarries by her haunting that area, and we need to mine out those mystic gems in our defense against the Musk and the Chinese Army. Despite the fact that we possess formidable magical lore, we are still relatively inexperienced in directly dealing with supernatural foes.

It was then that Cologne's great-granddaughter Shampoo decided to make a suggestion. What about the Talbains? Maybe they can help? I mean, they must know how to deal with ghosts, demons and things like that, right? She then turned to look at a heavily-bandaged individual with thick lens glasses. They certainly can't do any worse than _SOME_ people.

What did you say, Shampoo my darling? Mousse asked. He was nearly as deaf as he was nearsighted, after trying to take on the twin apparitions... 

----------

Flashback...

Mousse was ready to prove his love for Shampoo, and what better way to do it than by defeating the legendary Hsein Ko and Mei Lin? Not only would he finally win the heart of his beloved Amazon, but he would be heralded as the hero of the village! What spirits could withstand the mighty skills and weapons at his disposal?

The near-blind teen strutted toward the place where the ghosts were said to be seen and shouted out his challenge.

I am Mousse! Master of Hidden Weapons and future husband of Shampoo! Come face your defeat, you cowardly spirits! Aha! So there you are!

Almost immediately, the two ghosts in question appeared before him, though they were a little confused to see their challenger shouting at a boulder.

Hsien Ko was blue-skinned, dark-haired, and wore very elaborate, colorful robes, with long, flaring sleeves. She wore a fancy hat on her head and a mischievous expression on her face. Beside her, Mei Lin wore similar garments, but were less decorated and she had pale skin and brown hair. 

Well sister, what do we have here? Mei Lin remarked.

He claims to be a master of the Hidden Weapons Style. This should be amusing. Hsien Ko agreed.

Mousse realized that he wasn't facing his adversaries and turned toward their voices. When he saw two very light blurs, he pointed to them and declared, Aha! So you cowardly wraiths have finally decided to face your doom! You shall fall before the might of Mousse!

The fool believes that we shall fall before him, sister. Mei Lin remarked.

Only if we fall down _LAUGHING_. Hsien Ko smirked as she gestured to her sibling. Mei Lin nodded as her body was suddenly engulfed within a cloud of smoke and vanished. A moment later, a strip of parchment appeared on Hsien Ko's hat, inscribed with the kanji that spelled her sister's name.

At that moment, Mousse let loose with his secret weapon. Making a crossbow appear, he took aim and fired at the blur, which was Hsien Ko. The arrow had a Spirit Ward attached to its head. It was the strongest spell that Mousse could get from the village mystics, and he was certain that it would work.

Such was not the case for the sibling specters. Just as the arrow came within a foot of Hsien Ko, the parchment on her hat glowed, causing the arrow and the Spirit Ward to disintegrate harmlessly before her.

Thinking that the flash of light was the Spirit Ward taking effect, Mousse threw his sleeves forward and launched a barrage of knives and chained weapons at his foe. However, the blades simply passed through Hsien Ko without any damage whatsoever. Then the spirit suddenly vanished from sight only to reappear behind Mousse. Incredibly, she made a huge metal gong appear and then brandished a large mallet. She made a grand show of winding up before saying to Mousse...

Ding dong!

_**KLONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG!!!!!**_

The Reflect Gong's shockwaves sent Mousse flying forward several meters, before landing flat of his face. When he got up, his sense of balance was off and his ears were now echoing in his head. He was in no condition to fight, especially when the apparition decided to show him just who was the _TRUE_ master of Hidden Weapons.

The phantom threw out her sleeves, making a set of wicked-looking chained blades appear.

_**SHLINK!**_

Then she threw out a spiked ball and chain.

_**WHOMP!**_

Followed by some _HUGE_ scissors.

**_SNIP! SNIP! SNIP!_**

Then came a pair of spinning blades.

_**WHIR! WHIR! WHIR! BUZZ! BUZZ!**_

Then a really, _REALLY_ big mallet. (What else?)

_**WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!**_

And then, a small, round object... with a fuse.

Huh? What's this?!

**_BA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!! _**

----------

End of flashback...

Shampoo shook her head again. What was that idiot Mousse thinking? Normal weapons do not work against ghosts. Magic defeats magic. (2) Even she knew that! And since the only supernatural allies they knew of were the Talbains, it would make sense to enlist their help.

She then looked back at the council as they continued discussing the idea of contacting Matthew's family. The werewolves were acquainted with the Chinese Amazons and some members had trained in the village over the centuries. On several occasions, a few of the Amazons had attempted to induct the Talbains into the tribe. Such strong, mystical blood would have been a welcomed addition to their gene pool.

The Elders began to discuss the possibility of enlisting the help of the most powerful lycanthrope clan. In the background, Shampoo smiled as she thought about seeing Matthew again. Maybe this time, he would bite her! She could just imagine herself running through the forests, faster and stronger than ever before. And running by her side would be her husband. Wolves mated for life after all... 

---------- 

Back to Tokyo...

So, there haven't been any female werewolves in your family?

Matthew took on an introspective look. Well, that's not entirely true. He admitted. It's just that boys are known to be sired and they all become furry and fanged eventually. Dad said that on really _RARE_ occasions, a girl born in our family is able to become a werewolf, without having to be bitten by one. Dad's not too sure how it happens and there haven't been many she-wolves in my family tree.

So if you and I get married, then we don't worry have about our daughters shedding on the carpet.

Nabiki smirked a bit at his shocked expression. Just kidding. (Though a part of her played with idea of being married to him). She then noticed that they were approaching her home and decided to stop for a moment. She looked up and gazed deeply into his gray-blue eyes and decided.

She would keep Matthew's secret. She could make a lot of money off him, but to have someone this special all to herself, was something that she could not put a price on. This was a thing she had never experienced before and she wasn't going to let it go so easily. 

Deciding that a simple goodbye would not be adequate, Nabiki went for a more intimate way of saying see you next time.' Before Matthew could react, she reached up with her hands, framed his face and brought it down. Their lips met in a very soulful kiss. When they parted, the werewolf was dumbfounded at her sudden boldness.

Uhm... I didn't think you were the type to kiss on the first date.

Nabiki smiled as she headed toward the Tendo residence. I only do that when I go out with werewolves. See you at school.

Matthew could only stand and smile as he watched her go into the house. He lightly touched his lips with the tips of his fingers and nodded. He didn't have to worry about his secret being revealed. He then turned around and walked back to his home to prepare for school. 

----------

Hellsing HQ...

I would like to thank you for your part in saving Jon's son last night. Morrigan said as she spoke to Integra Wingates. Behind her, stood her faithful servant Walter.

The leader of the Hellsing Organization nodded. I am pleased to hear that Talbain's heir is alive and well. It would not do for us to lose potential allies. However, the person you should be thanking is Alucard.

Yes, well I can't thank him until he comes out tonight. Morrigan pointed out, then changed the subject. Oh, I'd like to ask of another favor.

Which is?

A certain someone will be coming to Furinken High today, and I would appreciate it, if you would keep an eye on her.

Integra gave the succubus a slightly suspicious expression. This wouldn't happen to be a girl that looks to be 15-16 years-old, very slender, with short hair, and sometimes sports a pair of bat wings on her back and head?

Ah, so you know about my little Lilith? I must say that your organization is very well-informed. Morrigan smiled.

Wingates nodded as she pulled out a file and read it. A few years ago, some of _YOUR_ excess supernatural energies took form and _SENTIENCE_, and became the being known as Lilith. She was very obsessed with gaining a real body... namely yours.

Yes. A very delightful child.

She tried to _KILL_ you, then take over your body, destroying several villages and small towns in the process.

Tried, my dear Wingates. Tried. And no one was killed.

And things did turn out for the best.

Yes... due to some unknown event, (and I have a good idea you had something to do with it), Lilith's body _SOMEHOW_ gained true substance and she no longer stalks you. She is enjoying her solid body and you seem to have... adopted her.

Well, she _WAS_ created from me, so I can claim to be her mother. And as her mother, I only want what's best for my little girl, which includes an education.

So you enrolled a supernaturally powerful adolescent in a human high school?!

What's the big deal? Jon Talbain's son is at Furinken.

Unlike Matthew Talbain, Lilith Aenslade has a bad habit of causing mischief on a very destructive scale!

Yes, I suppose she inherited that from me.

Integra Wingates sighed and shook her head. It was going to be one of those days. 

----------

Homeroom...

Akane growled as she glared at Matthew. That pervert! Just what did he do to her sister?!

Nabiki came home this morning with a very goofy grin on her face and a bounce in her step. When she asked her what had happened last night, her elder sibling simply shrugged and told Akane that it was none of her business.

This was totally unlike the calculating, money-grubbing mercenary that Akane knew her to be. Conclusion... that baka Matthew must have done something to her to have turned Nabiki against her own sister! Nabiki was probably ashamed to admit that he had touched her and did unspeakable things! As she thought! He was nothing but a pervert, like all boys. Ooh, just wait until she got through with him. He'll regret ever touching Nabiki and...

Class, I would to introduce you to another foreign exchange student today. She comes all the way from Scotland. This is Lilith Aenslade.

At the mention of Morrigan's family name, Matthew's attention perked up as he gazed upon the newcomer, who was dressed in the standard girls uniform.

She was a slim, almost frail-looking girl with short, lavender-pink hair. She was a really cute thing with a petite figure and a bubbly kind of air about her. However, the werewolf was not fooled by her seeming innocence. He could sense the same power within her as with his father's old flame. She was even shorter than Akane, but could most likely splatter the Tendo girl all over the pavement, if the short-tempered girl got her riled.

Lilith cutely waved to her new classmates and her gaze lingered a second longer when she saw Matthew. Hello! I'm Lilith, and I hope we can be very good friends!

Matthew's eyes narrowed. He would have to keep a close eye on her.

As for Akane, she was unimpressed. The new girl hardly had any figure to speak of and seemed so fragile that she would probably break apart in a strong breeze. She wouldn't be a challenge at all.

At the front of the class, Lilith smiled as she sensed the emotions being emitted from the other students, especially from a certain heir to the Tendo Anything Goes. Such anger and pride! And then there was Matthew Tailbain. Her mother' had told her all about him. 

She was going to have a lot of fun here!

To be continued...

Author's Notes

Well, that takes care of this chapter as some of the backstory has been told, plus a few setups for some future plots. Yeah, I know Alex Burgos. More Felicia. Don't worry, she'll make her appearance, as well as other Darkstalkers.

Next chapter, Matthew will have his hands full as Lilith begins stirring up trouble and Akane will learn that big trouble can come from small packages. We'll also see Ryoga... er, Ranma as well as the Blue Blunder as he stumbles across a certain suit of cursed samurai armor. See you then!

(1) If anyone ever saw the final episode of Hellsing, when Alucard released his full power against Incognito, then you'd understand why I would consider him more powerful than Demitri. According to Vampire Hunter D, a vampire tends to get more powerful the longer he lives. This would also explain the Rune Symbol Limiters on Alucard to keep him in check. Demitri's history has been set around 12th century Romania, while Alucard's history has never been fully revealed, meaning that he may have lived for well over a millennium, thereby surpassing Demitri's power levels. And besides, it's _MY_ story.

(2) Jackie Chan's Uncle then whaps me over the head with his two-fingered strike. 


	6. Chapter 5: Girl Trouble

**THE BEAST WITHIN**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2, Darkstalkers, Hellsing and all the others belong to the ones who created them.

: Thoughts

**Chapter 5**

Girl Trouble

The school cafeteria...

The middle daughter of Soun Tendo and two of her friends sat at a table at lunch. As other students milled about toward the lunch counter to eat, the three girls excited talked to one another about a certain somebody, namely the son of Jon Talbain.

Come on, Nabiki! Tell us about what happened last night! Yuni asked.

Yeah! How was he? Was he gentle? Ashura pressed.

Akane's sister smiled as her two cohorts continued to bombard her with questions about her date with Matthew Talbain. It was the simple act of girls gossiping among each other about boys.... and she was loving every minute of it. For the first time in her life, she was living as a normal teenager, without having to worry about finances and such.

Come on Nabiki! Give us the details!

Yeah! Did he kiss you?

_Well, actually I kissed him..._ Nabiki's smile became wider as a slight red tinge formed on her cheeks. Then out of the corner of her right eye, she saw the object of their discussion in line to get his lunch. Her friends saw him as well and took on dreamy expressions. Both let off sighs of longing as they watched him.

Ooh, you are _SO_ lucky! Ashura commented.

Yeah, I am _SO_ jealous! Yuni agreed. I mean, the _ONLY_ boy in the school who's not after your sister, and _YOU_ get him! And hes a real hunk too!

Ooh, doesn't he have the dreamiest blue eyes?

Yeah, and that silver streak in his hair makes him look so... wild, you know?

You don't know just how wild he can get. Nabiki said softly as she mentally chuckled at the private joke. As she watched Matthew take his tray to the cashier, she noted something odd. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few yen notes... plus some coins to pay the cashier. Now she wasn't a metallurgist or worked at a mint, but she knew that loose change contained some amounts of silver in them. Considering her beau's aversion to such metals, she wondered how he could touch those coins. 

She decided to go ask him as she got up.

Where are you going Nabiki? Yuni asked.

The short-haired girl gave her friends a smile as she simply pointed toward the table where Matthew was heading toward. I'll see you in math class, girls.

She then left to go join up with Matthew, leaving her friends to sigh in disappointment and envy.

----------

Hey Nabs! How's it going? Matthew greeted as Nabiki came to his table.

Nabiki smiled at the affectionate nickname Nabs' as she decided to give everyone present something to gossip about. She immediately leaned over and gave him a very sweet peck on the cheek, then snuggled up next to him, while taking his arm. This immediately got many of the females present in a bit of a snit as they began chatting among themselves and rumors began to circulate.

Well let them spread rumors. Nabiki was used to such and she could always turn a tidy profit from them. Besides, Matthew was interested in HER, and not her violent maniac of a sister. She was the only girl in Furinken who wasn't going to have lonely nights on the weekend anymore.

I'm fine Matt. Couldn't be better.

Yeah, especially since most of the girls here would like to be where you are now. You wouldnt believe what some of them are saying right now. Some of them think that you're blackmailing me to be your boyfriend.

Oh? And how do you know that?

Matthew tapped the left ear with his left index finger. I've got a pretty good ear... you know?

Right. Well, I can't really blame them... you see, I've got kind of a reputation. She became somewhat uneasy at this confession and was a bit afraid that the truth about her would drive him away.

Yeah. I know. Matthew then smiled at her while giving her a playful wink. A girl's got to make a living, right?

You... don't mind?

Why should I? I know that you're doing what you do for a reason. My Dad's always told me to give people time to show themselves and not to jump to conclusions. After all, he's friends with a vampire and used to date a succubus.

That's another story. In any case, I'd like to think that I'm a fair judge of character, and so far, I like what I see in you. You're smart, decisive, not afraid to ask questions, independent and you've got some integrity, since you haven't told anybody about my family secret. And I'd say that you're the only one in your home with any sense of the real world. No offense intended.

None taken. And that's pretty much how it is at home. Kasumi, bless her heart, is always looking after us after Mom died. She's a good person, but I really think she should get out more often and start living her own life. She cant keep caring for us forever. Akane _REALLY_ needs to have that temper checked and maybe a few... hundred lessons in humility would do her good. Daddy needs to stop being so emotional and grow up. I wish he would get back to teaching again or at least get a job! And that friend of his...

Matthew felt a twinge of anger as he thought about Genma and that poor sap that he gotten to pose as his son. He then went back to the subject at hand.

Well, in any case, one the main reasons why I like you Nabs, is because you've set up your own rules and you don't let anyone try to control your destiny. I like that in a girl. And it doesn't hurt if that girl happens to be cute.

Nabiki found herself blushing furiously at his compliment, then decided to ask him a few more questions about his lycanthrope heritage. I never knew a werewolf could be such a flatterer. Speaking of which, I was wondering about something. You can't touch silver, right?

Yeah, pretty much.

I saw you hand some coins to the cashier. How did you do that?

Oh, that's simple enough. He reached into his shirt and pulled out the wolf-head pendant he was wearing. This talisman not only keeps me from spreading lycanthropy through bites, but it also gives me limited protection against small amounts of silver. The metal won't burn me as long as I wear this and I only make brief contact. My ancestors wanted to fit in with normal society, and it was a real problem not being able to handle money, silverware and jewelry.

What about the money in your pockets? Aren't those coins hurting you?

Well, coins these days don't have much silver in them, and I try not to carry too much loose change with me. As long as that money doesn't make contact with my skin for too long, then it's no problem. I just got to make sure that my pockets never have any holes in them.

Okay, I get it.

Now mind you, that this pendant won't protect me against silver that's been enchanted or blessed. I can't touch things like holy crosses, magic weapons or things like that. It's kind of ironic though.

What do you mean?

The thing that werewolves fear the most is also a large part of the Talbain wealth.

This certainly caught Nabikis attention. She hadnt thought that Matthew and his father had any considerable means. Their modest apartment had not shown any indication of immense prosperity. 

Matthew smirked. Oh, didn't I tell you? My family's stinking rich.

The young werewolf shrugged. Hey, we've been around the world. Plane tickets and travel arrangements don't come cheap. And making these enchanted gold pendants aren't a drop in the bucket. And didn't you notice that there wasn't anyone else at the apartment complex watching me and my Dad train this morning? That's because Dad rented the entire place and the surrounding buildings so we'd have some privacy.

Now that I think about it... there wasn't anyone else. I didn't even see a landlord. So you and your Dad are...?

Wealthy, rolling in it, loaded, in the chips, swimming in it, well-to-do... I think that covers it. Dad's got at least a dozen secret Swiss Bank accounts, and several dozen land titles in Europe and America. Hes also got the Talbain Ancestral Estate in England.

I don't believe this! And you just live in a small apartment?

We don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves, especially with our family curse. Besides, the world believes that the Talbain line died out sixteen years ago, hence my false name of Talbane.

All right. So you said that the Talbain family fortune is mostly made of the thing you fear?

Yep. Call it one of life's quirks. The Talbains happen to own five very lucrative silver mines. Two of them are in England, two in Africa and one in America. They were another reason why the pendants were made.

Nabiki giggled at the irony. Then she realized that she had hit the jackpot. Not only did she have a handsome, strong werewolf for a boyfriend, who understood her, but he was rich too! Let's see Akane's fiancé top that!

Wherever he was...

----------

Excuse me, but where is Furinken High School? Ranma' asked as he held up a map.

The man looked at Genma's son' with a confused expression. Why was this nut asking him for a school in Tokyo, when he was in Kobe?

----------

Furinken High...

Matthew and Nabiki continued to chat, when a large crowd came into the cafeteria. The middle Tendo daughter was quite surprised to see that most of the group consisted of die-hard Akane admirers. They were now following the new girl Lilith like lovesick puppies. They were practically tripping over themselves, trying to get closer to the slender female. Their eyes were fixated on her petite body, while at the same time, making the other girls in the cafeteria seem... inadequate. Jealousy began to run rampant among the throngs of females.

She was stirring up a _LOT_ of hostility with the other girls. It was bad enough that most boys followed that beat-Akane-so-you-can-date-her decree, and that Nabiki had snagged the only available male, but now this scrawny newcomer was picking up prospective suitors as if she were collecting stamps. What did those boys see in her? She was literally swarmed as they continued to proposition her.

Can I buy you lunch?

What's your favorite color?

You want to go out after school?

Do you have a boyfriend?

I think you're really cute!

Please! Go out with me!

Hey! I asked her first!

She's going out with me!

Lilith smiled cutely while giving her suitors a playful wink, making their hearts skip a beat. Now, now! There's no need to fight! Oh dear! I feel so thirsty. I wish I had something to drink...

In an instant, the boys began mobbing the lunch counter, thrusting handfuls of yen notes at the cashier, and grabbing sodas, milk cartons and juice boxes. A moment later, they were pushing and shoving each other as they raced to be the first one to present Lilith with a beverage.

----------

Matthew's eyes narrowed as he watched Morrigan's daughter' continue to lead those poor fools. Though she didn't have Morrigan's well-developed figure, Lilith did have the same power over the opposite sex as the Aenslade heir. It was a kind of sexual magnetism that all succubi possessed, which allowed them to seduce and entrance men in their dreams, then devour their souls. Apparently, the girl was exerting that ability to gather followers and devotees. That could only mean trouble.

Nabiki looked on with concern, as her boyfriend continued to gaze at the new girl. She was beginning to worry that he might be falling under Lilith's spell. She breathed a slight sigh of relief as he turned back to her and nodded reassuringly.

Nabs. You better be really careful around her. She's trouble, and I mean _BIG_ trouble.

What do you mean? She asked. How can she be any trouble? She doesn't look like much.

Looks can be deceiving. The werewolf warned. She's very powerful. She's a succubus.

The female counterpart to an incubus. They have the power to entrance humans of the opposite sex. They generally visit humans in their dreams and give them a night of pleasure... while devouring their souls.

You mean... she's some kind of vampire? Nabiki shuddered as she remembered her encounter with Demitri Maximov and how he had entranced her.

In a way. Of course, like vampires, not all succubi and inccubi are evil. They simply hunt to survive. They don't _HAVE_ to devour a person's entire soul and they thrive on pleasure. There have been instances in which they have influenced human history.

Like what?

You've heard of King Arthur and Camelot right? Merlin the magician was said to be the son of a demon and a mortal woman. Well, his mother had been seduced by an incubus.

Whoa. And you say that this new girl is a succubus?

Most definitely. She's got the same aura as another succubus I know. In fact, she's got the same last name as the one my Dad used to date. 

Long story, but the thing is, Lilith Aenslade is using her power over men, hence her new fan club. The more a man is susceptible to his primal urges, then the more she will be able to influence him. (1)

Hmpf! If what you're saying is true, then I'm not surprised that those boys are falling for her. They're mostly from the usual horde that attack my sister every morning. They just can't keep control of their hormones and their brains are usually in their pants. She then met his eyes and smiled a bit. You don't seem to be affected though. _Thank goodness!_

Matthew smirked. Well, I've got a lot more control over my hormones... and let's just say that my primal urges happen to be focused on someone else.

Nabiki blushed as she glanced back to the mob. With all those boys, I'm surprised that Kuno hasn't shown... well, speak of the devil.

Almost on cue, Kuno appeared at the cafeteria, hoping to catch a glimpse of his one true love, Akane Ten... and who is this vision of innocent exquisiteness? 

In a flash, Kuno rushed forward and knelt down in front of Lilith while pulling out a bouquet of roses. He knocked over several other rivals in the process.

My love! Your humble and noble servant has come! Will you accept this modest token of my undying affection for thee?

Lilith giggled as she took one rose and daintily sniffed it. This buffoon was so easy to control that it was laughable. In fact, nearly all of her followers were influenced by emotions of lust, and cravings for attention and affection. She didn't need to exert a tenth of her attraction aura. The only male that wasn't responding to her, was a certain werewolf that sitting nearby. She smiled as she thought of him as the challenge she was looking for to relieve her of boredom.

Just then, a certain sister of Nabiki's entered the cafeteria with two of her friends.

----------

Ugh! It figures that Kuno would be so fickle. Akane's sister said with disgust.

And it looks like things are about to get worse. Matt said as he pointed to where Akane had just spotted her former fans, now drooling over the new girl. Suffice to say, she was not happy that someone else was stealing away the attention.

----------

What is going here?! Akane asked as she saw the very same boys she had fought this morning, were now fawning at that skinny little transfer student. She had been expecting to be swarmed by her many admirers as always, but now they weren't even aware that she was present. This got her temper boiling. She hated the morning fights, but she hated being ignored even more. Even that moron Kuno, her most persistent suitor, seemed to have dropped her! How could that be? She was supposed to be the most popular girl in school! Just what did those morons _SEE_ in that skinny little... _STICK?!_

Seeing only red, she began stomping toward her.

----------

Excuse me, Nabs. I've got to stop your sister, before Lilith splatters her all over the cafeteria.

Is she really that dangerous? Nabiki was still unbelieving that someone so frail could be any threat to her smash-first-and-don't bother-to-ask-later sibling.

Matthew nodded as he got up and headed toward the impending conflict.

----------

You disgust me! Akane cried out as she pointed a finger at the succubus. 

Still maintaining her innocent act, Lilith demurely glanced toward the furious girl and shrugged her shoulders in mocked confusion. I beg your pardon? 

At the moment, she was sitting on a table with her legs crossed, and was daintily sipping on a soda. Around her, the throngs of lovesick boys continued to sigh and gaze upon her with blissful ignorance. She was seemed unaware, or more accurately, unconcerned with the potential of violence that Soun's youngest daughter represented.

Her air of superiority made Akane's blood boil. Didn't this girl know that she was the most popular girl in school and the best martial artist in Nerima? What was it about Lilith Aenslade that was making her so irritated? 

Look at those perverts hanging all over you! Don't you have any self-respect as a girl?! Youre nothing but some cheap, skinny floozy twig!

Akane's outburst made the boys begin to growl and become restless. Even Kuno began to become irritated at his beautiful tigress.' How dare she insult their pure, sweet, innocent Lilith? It was a crime to slander her like that!

Nabiki's sister became a little confused at this turn of events. These were the same boys that attacked her every day to date her. Sure they were enthusiastic, but they had never shown such animosity against her, especially Kuno, and he was usually the most tenacious of her would-be suitors. They all looked as if they were about to tear her apart. 

Lilith then finished off her drink and stood up while giving her devotees a small wave, instantly cooling their tempers and got them all lovey-dovey again. She then faced off against her rival with an air of indifference that made Akane's temper rise a few more notches. Now, now boys! She's not worth it. Ms. Tendo's words are only her poor, pitiful attempts to hide her inadequacies as a girl.

I mean, why _ELSE_ would she make a scene, when it's _OBVIOUS_ that she's just jealous?

_WHAT?! WHY WOULD I BE JEALOUS OF A SKINNY LITTLE TRAMP LIKE YOU?!_

There, you see? The green-eyed monster rears her ugly face and... oh, I'm sorry Ms. Tendo. I though you were wearing a mask, but that's really your _FACE_! Lilith let off a girly giggle, that made every heart of the Horde of Hentai skip a beat. 

Of course, this only made Akanes temper reach near-critical. _WHY YOU...!_

I've heard that these boys _USED_ to meet you every day in order to win your heart. And every day, you beat them up.

Some of Akane's ego as a martial artist came back as she gave a smug smile and said, That's right! I happen to the best marital artist in...

And that only proves what a naive, little child you are. Lilith said with a carefree wave of her hand. Because it's _OBVIOUS_ you wouldn't know what to _DO_ with a boy.

Lilith giggled again before continuing. Akane Tendo, _GIRLS_ are supposed to attract _BOYS_. It's just nature. And just think of all the _YUMMY_ things that can done with them. She then stroked the bottom of Kuno's chin, making the kendo fighter all hot and bothered. If the succubus had asked him to sit up and beg, Tatewaki would have done so and howled. Only someone who is uncertain of her own femininity would be so... oh, I don't know, be like you. Instead of _ENJOYING_ what boys have to offer, you simply break them. And you accuse _ME_ of not having any self-respect as a girl? At least I know the facts of life and I wont be destined to be lonely.

Akane was about to explode when Lilith put in the final barb.

You _KNOW_ I'm right, don't you? You _LIKED_ the attention that these boys gave you, but only as a spoiled little brat, and _NOT_ as a female. However, whenever they got too close, you would beat them up, because you are so un-feminine. They probably thought that once they beat you, you would give to them the kind of affection that only a _REAL_ girl can. However, the way I see it, you'll probably end up as an _OLD_ maid before you get a husband. I mean, what do you have to offer as a wife? There's the shortest marriage on record. Youd probably kill your husband on your wedding night.

At this point, Akane couldn't stand any more of Lilith's words, especially since they had the sting of truth in them. So what was her answer to something that she couldn't understand or liked? Violence of course. (2)

Akane began charging with the intent of snapping Lilith in two, but a powerful arm thrust out before her, stopping her from reaching the object of her rage. She looked over to her right and glared at Matthew Talbain.

Get out of my way!

Let it go, Akane Tendo. The werewolf said firmly.

Let it go. 

This isn't your business!

No, but it's also _NOT_ your business to start a fight over something like this. As far as I can tell, Aenslade wasn't doing anything wrong, and _YOU_ were the one screaming out and looking for trouble. If you were truly the martial artist you _CLAIM_ to be, then you should have had more control over your temper. Lilith's words were only her opinions. _Even though she may be right._

Get out of my way! Akane threw a punch at Matthew's face, but the son of Jon Talbain simply caught the incoming fist and with a simple twist, had the girl wincing and trying to pull free. She found herself being brought to her knees as she looked up and saw into his lupine gaze.

I'll say this one last time, Akane Tendo. Let it go.

The Tendo girl struggled for a few more minutes, then finally relented under his crushing grip.

All right. She hissed. For now.

With those words, Matthew released her hand and stepped back, ready to counter any attack if she lashed out. However, with her pride wounded, she decided to withdraw and stomped away, silently vowing that Aenslade would pay for her insults.

As he watched her depart, Matthew let off a sigh of relief that he had been able to diffuse the situation. Nevertheless, he knew that he would have to keep an eye on things.

----------

Later...

I hope you don't think I was too hard on your sister. Matthew said as he and Nabiki walked home from school. I just wanted to make sure she _DOESN'T_ try to fight Lilith.

It's okay. Nabiki replied assuredly. I'm just glad that no one got hurt. And Akane does need to put that temper in check. I swear, she'll lash out for any reason.

Yeah well, she may think that she's a great martial artist, but her skills wouldn't mean squat against Lilith.

She's that powerful?

Well, I haven't seen her in actual combat, but I could sense her power levels. She's _WAY_ beyond your sister's abilities and if Lilith's anything like Dad's old flame, then Akane would have ended up as a bloody smear on the ground. Dad told me about how powerful Morrigan was. It's a whole different ballgame when you fight a Darkstalker.

That's the general term for all supernatural beings of the Old Races. Vampires, werewolves, that mummy from last night, and stuff like that. Me and my Dad have made several trips into the world of the Makai.

What's the Makai?

It's also known as the Demon Realm. Dad thought it would be best that I get experience with dealing with otherworldly beings and if necessary, fight them. In any case, Akane wouldn't have lasted two seconds against Lilith, and I have a feeling that she's not going to forget this.

Nabiki nodded in agreement. Once Akane's pride was challenged, she would go all gung-ho about being a martial artist. She hoped that her sister would not pay for her arrogance.

----------

The Tendo Home...

_I'll SHOW HER WHO'S THE BEST! JEALOUS OF HER? HAH! SHE'S GOING TO SEE WHAT A REAL GIRL AND TRUE MARTIAL ARTIST CAN DO! I'll SHOW EVERYONE!_

Akane then finished the Challenge Letter with a flourish.

That was when Nabiki came home.

----------

Meanwhile in China...

Cologne sighed as the last group of warriors came back, with every member either limping or being supported by their comrades. Apparently, they had the same lack of success as all the others before them, including that idiot Mousse. The mystics of the village had made stronger Spirit Wards and magical spells, but still the ghosts of Hsien Ko and Mei Lin persisted. 

Things were starting to get desperate. Without the mystic gems from the quarries, the spiritual barrier which kept the Musk Dynasty at bay would eventually weaken. The Amazons needed to mine those gems quickly and to do so, they would have to stop those specters from haunting the areas. Since all other methods had failed, there was only one other recourse.

The elder went into her house and entered her bedroom. She knelt down toward a hidden panel in the floorboards and opened it. Taking out a small, decorated box, she unlocked the lid and pulled out a golden pendant, which was shaped in the form of a wolf's head.

Cologne smiled at the memory of the last time the Talbains had visited the Joketsuzoku.

----------

Flashback to four months ago...

(translated from Mandarin)

Cologne sighed as she watched her great-granddaughter get thrown several yards. She winced slightly as Shampoo came down on her rear with a thump. She sighed again. The elder made a note to improve on her heir's lack of grappling skills, which Matthew was taking full advantage of, by tossing her like a flapjack.

Behind her, Jon Talbain smiled as he watched his son continue to wipe the ground with his sparring partner. He had to admit, though the Amazon teen was severely outclassed, especially when fighting Matthew in his hybrid form, Shampoo was no quitter. The purple-haired girl got up again, and tried to attack with a flying kick, but his son easily caught the extended foot with one hand, swung her about in a helicopter spin, then sent her airborne again.

I have to admit, your great-granddaughter has gotten better. Jon admitted. I think Matthew's actually trying this time.

Yes, but it seems that my great-granddaughter was a bit too overconfident in her improved skills. The matriarch said. She shouldn't have insisted to spar with your son in his strongest form. Then again...

_**WHUMP!**_

This may have an unexpected dividend.

What do you mean? The elder werewolf asked.

_**THUMP! WHOMP! THOOM!**_

I may not have to subject Shampoo to the Backusai Tenketsu, if she keeps this up. The endurance she gains from this may be just the same as being repeatedly hit by boulders, perhaps even better.

_**WA-BOOOOOOOOM!**_

Provided she survives.

----------

Shampoo winced as Matthew applied some healing salve to her arms. Both were sitting on her bed as the Amazon's sparring partner tended to her injuries.

Sorry. I not mean throw so hard. The young lycanthrope's Chinese was passable. He wasn't as well-traveled as his father, but he had picked up enough of several foreign dialects during their journeys, to make a decent conversation. 

It's okay. I was asking for it, when I said I wanted to fight you in your hybrid form. I bet I could really give you a fight if I was a werewolf.

Heh, you did good as you now. Not too many Matthew opponents last long as you did. 

I'd do a lot better if a certain werewolf would do something for me. Shampoo said seductively as she began to snuggle up closer to him.

Jon's son inched away as he shook his head. No. I not do it.

Why not? It'll only take one little bite...

Already told so. Too dangerous. Shampoo may not be Shampoo any more if Matthew bite.

Come on... please? The Amazon took on a really cute expression, making it difficult for Jon's heir to continue refusing her.

----------

In the kitchen, Cologne and Jon were sipping cups of tea as the Matthew's father picked up on the teenagers' conversation with his sensitive hearing. He sighed as he turned his attention back to the elder.

Cologne noted his expression and asked. Something wrong?

I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but your great-granddaughter is pestering my son to turn her into a werewolf again. Doesn't she realize the dangers of secondary lycanthropy?

Actually, if she were to gain even a portion of his power, then it might be worth the risk. She would certainly benefit from your family's miraculous regenerative traits and be healed by now. In fact, our whole tribe would benefit if you and your son were to bite a couple dozen of our best warriors. We would be able to hold out better or even defeat the Musk Dynasty, if we were to...

Jon tiredly held out a hand and shook his head. We've been through this before, Cologne. The risk is too high to experiment. In nearly all cases, those who are bitten lose their humanity and become mindless beasts. You would be forced to kill your own people, if they were to permanently sink into a feral state. They would become a danger to all and would have to be destroyed to put them out of their misery.

Ah, but you did say that a few _HAVE_ been able to retain their humanity. Even if we were to have only a handful of such powerful beings at our disposal, then we would...

No Cologne. The matter is closed.

I see that you are adamant about this.

I will not unleash that kind of danger on the world.

Well then, there's always that other option...

Jon smiled whimsically while shaking his head again. As I recall, those Amazon Marriage Laws do not apply to any member of the Talbain Clan, thanks to that agreement that was made six hundred years ago.

I truly wish we did not make that pact. The tribe would have benefited from such strong, mystical blood.

All of your _MALE_ members, or have you forgotten the fact that the werewolf traits are primarily passed from father to son? You are not guaranteed any she-wolves if my son or I were to take an Amazon mate. We've only had six or seven female-born werewolves in our family tree. We have nothing against you warrior women. In fact, my family has always admired your people, and my son has made many friends here.

And so, the original pact must stand. Cologne said tiredly.

I think both sides have greatly profited from it. Talbain pointed out. My family have learned much from your fighting styles, and in return, we have aided your people in their times of need and will continue to do so. He then took off his wolf-head pendant and handed it to the aged woman, which caused her to be very puzzled.

Your pendant?

Keep it as a memento. I have a spare in my bags. And this particular pendant has an extra enchantment. When it is bathed in moonlight, it will be able to contact me through my second pendant. It doesn't have to be a full moon. Mind you, this power only works once a month.

---------

End of flashback...

Cologne nodded as she waited for nightfall. If ever they needed the help of the Talbain Clan, it was now.

----------

Japan...

What?! Your sister is going to challenge Lilith?! 

Matthew gripped the phone receiver in his hand, threatening to crush it to pieces. He couldn't believe that Akane would be so foolhardy.

On the other side of the line, Nabiki nodded. I'm afraid so. I saw the challenge letter. She just can't be reasoned with when she's like this. It looks like Aenslade's words really got to her. And the only way Akane knows how to fight back is with her fists.

Matthew muttered as he knew that things were going to get very serious.

Behind him, certain people were listening to the conversation that was taking place. One was Matthew's father Jon. Behind him were two guests who had just arrived for a visit, when he had come home from school, namely Morrigan Aenslade and her daughter' Lilith.

The younger succubus smiled as she heard the news. She just knew that she was going to have fun in Tokyo. When she looked up at Matthew's agitated expression, she decided to feign innocence. She shrugged her shoulders demurely and smiled.

----------

The Kuno Estate...

Tatewaki was currently in his quarters, working on an ink painting, when he turned toward the door and acknowledged the presence of his servant, Sasuke.

Ah Sasuke. You may enter.

Yes Master!

And that was when a short man in ninja garb, fell from a panel in the ceiling and crashed down in front of his employer. This startled Kuno nearly out of his pants.

I meant through the door, you moron! Kuno raged.

The little ninja eeped in shamed and bowed his head. My apologies, Master.

The so-called Blue Blunder calmed down, (while making a mental note to string Sasuke up by his thumbs later), and then addressed him. What news do you have for me?

Yes Master! The toady replied. The special package you had purchased some time ago has arrived!

Excellent! Have it brought to me at once!

I have already taken the liberty of doing so, Master Kuno! Sasuke gestured to a large crate that was sitting just outside the door.

Well, what are you waiting for? Bring it in!

Yes Master!

The little ninja then walked over to the crate and pulled mightily on a strap. With some huffing and puffing, he managed to drag the large crate inside the room, then used a crowbar to pry open the lid. With some tremendous effort, he was barely able to open the top, which caused the sides to fall over. One side came down on Sasuke with a mighty...

_**CRASH!**_

Kuno's servant was flattened under the heavy panel of wood and moaned.

Oooooooooh! Do not worry... Master! I'm all... _AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!_

_**WHAM!**_

Sasuke was stopped in mid-sentence as Kuno rushed over and flattened him by stepping onto the panel that pinned the ninja down. Not realizing, (or probably not caring), that he was squishing his loyal servant, Kuno gloated over his latest acquisition, which happened to be a set of grotesquely decorated suit of ancient Samurai armor. The protective garb was colored crimson and its mid-section was shaped like some fanged mouth. Even the helmet appeared to look like some monstrous head. What interested Kuno the most was the elaborately decorated sword that went with the armor.

Ah! Here it is! Kuno declared. This is an authentic set of Samurai armor, which dates back to before the Tokugawa Era! What a rare find, eh Sasuke?

If... you say so, Master. _URGH! _The obedient ninja managed to pull himself free from the panel and looked at the battle gear with some uneasiness. Though I think we should take heed of the warnings the last owner gave to you, when he sold you the armor. He said...

I will not be intimidated by some nonsense about curses! He was nothing more than a superstitious, weak-minded fool! He did not see the _TRUE_ value of this magnificent armor and he sold it to me for practically nothing!

But Master Kuno! The man clearly stated that those who have possessed this armor and sword have been known to have great misfortunes befall upon them. It was said that the spirit of Bishamon, the Demon Samurai, inhabits the armor and...

I will hear no more of this rubbish! This magnificent armor and sword are now mine! Ah! Perhaps I may impress my newfound love Lilith Aenslade, if I were to wear this armor, and show her my true, noble lineage!

But Master Kuno...!

Silence knave! I told you before, I shall hear no more of ridiculous tales of curses and such! Now, let us see this armor upon my noble self!

Yes... Master Kuno. Sasuke said resignedly as he looked toward the armor and sword with a feeling of foreboding. Something about the ancient battle-garb sent shivers down his spine and made him wish he could bundle up the Armor of Bishamon in a gunny sack, encase it in concrete and toss it into the Tokyo Bay.

Deep within the crimson shell, an old spirit began to stir. Soon, it will taste the sweet pain of combat and the delicious flavor of blood.

----------

The Talbain home...

You _KNOW_ you can't accept Akane's Challenge. Matt said as he and Lilith spoke in the privacy of his room. Outside in the living room, Jon and Morrigan were discussing old times.

Why not? Lilith asked innocently, though something in her expression told the werewolf that she was looking forward to causing more mischief, especially with the youngest Tendo daughter. She wants to challenge me, so I have to accept. I'm not to going to let her smear the Aenslade's good name.

Lilith, you _KNOW_ Akane doesn't stand a chance against you.

If you're afraid for that human's life, then I promise to go easy on her. Will that all right?

That all depends on what your definition of going easy' is like! The young Talbain retorted. She's just human!

Well, she claims she's a martial artist, so she _SHOULD_ be able to take a few lumps.

That's what I'm afraid of! Even _ONE_ of your lumps could really hurt her and put her into the hospital... or worse!

So? If there's anyone to blame for this, then it's Akane Tendo. She was the one looking for a fight. I was just minding my own business, then she accuses of me of being a tramp and now she wants to challenge me, just because I wounded her pride with my own opinions about her, which were merely statements of truth. She then took on an introspective look and asked. So why are _YOU_ so concerned about all this? Is Akane someone very special to you, hmmm? She reached out and traced a seductive finger on Matthew's well-muscled pectorals.

Jon's son flinched slightly and backed off a bit. Though Lilith's seductive aura was nowhere near as powerful as her mother's,' the werewolf was feeling somewhat... hot, due to his proximity to the young succubus. He shook his head to clear his mind and regain his focus. No! I don't think of Akane like that! Personally, it might do her some good to take a few knocks, but she is Nabiki's sister and she asked me to try and talk you out of accepting the challenge. Nabiki's trying to talk her sister out of it too, since we both don't want anyone hurt!

----------

Sure enough, at the Tendo Home...

Akane, this is stupid! Challenging Aenslade like this makes no sense! She didnt do anything wrong!

What do you mean?! The short-tempered sibling said in a huff. I'm a martial artist and I've got to uphold my honor! That little tramp insulted me!

Akane, you're taking this _WAY_ too seriously. Nabiki pointed out. So she's picked up some admirers who used to chase you all the time. I would have thought you'd be glad to have gotten those idiots off your back.

This isn't about that! The younger girl denied. It's about honor!

_Liar!_ Nabiki thought. _I know you liked all the attention. You're just using this honor thing as an excuse, just like Mr. Saotome and Daddy with this Unite the Schools nonsense. Hmmm, I wonder where Ranma is right now?_ She then got back to the topic at hand. Akane, I really think you should let this go. Someone might get hurt.

Someone's going to get hurt all right, and I assure you that it's not going to be me! I show that little twerp Aenslade that she shouldn't mess with a martial artist!

_Some martial artist!_ Nabiki mentally snorted. _Can't control her temper, can't take it when somebody shoves the truth into her face, and her only way to deal with things is with violence._

The middle daughter knew that she was fighting a losing battle and hoped that Matthew would be able to keep things from getting out of control when Akane faced off against the succubus.

----------

The next day...

Crowds of people gathered around the soccer field after school as word of the impending duel between Akane Tendo and Lilith Aenslade spread like wildfire. On the sidelines, both Nabiki and Matthew sat and discussed the upcoming match.

So you couldn't talk her out of it?

Nabiki sighed and shook her head. I swear that it's like talking to a tree stump. Once Akane is rooted into something, it's hard to pull her out of it. Normally, Nabiki would be taking betting pools and such, but since this event involved a family member and was of a serious nature, Akane's sister was too concerned with her sibling's safety to be making money. So did you have a talk with Lilith?

Well, I couldn't get her to refuse the Challenge Letter, but she did agree to go easy on her and not cause any lasting injuries. Now, I'm not too sure about her definition of going easy,' but I'll keep an eye on things.

Thanks Matt. 

She then leaned over and gave him an affectionate kiss on the cheek. 

It was then that the crowds began cheering as the combatants appeared on the scene.

----------

Akane was feeling confident as she faced off against her opponent. This was going to be too easy! Soon everyone was going to see that Akane Tendo, the heir to the Anything Goes Martial Arts, wasn't someone to trifle with! Soon everyone will respect her again, after she put this little slut in her place! Just look at her! She was openly flirting with those stupid boys, in the middle of a duel of honor!

Lilith, on the other hand, was unconcerned with the hostility being directed toward her from her rival. She simply waved to her legions of fans and blew them all kisses, making the crowds of hormone-crazy adolescents go into a near-frenzy. It was clear to all who was the favorite, which made the former most popular' girl in school's temper come to a fast boil.

You little _TRAMP!_ This is supposed to be a duel of honor, _NOT_ a sideshow! Akane screeched, while pointing an accusing finger at Lilith.

The young succubus shrugged her shoulders and replied. Ooh, a threat! How very amusing! I can that this is going to be fun!

You won't be smiling when I'm through with you! Let's see if your fans will still be following you after I rearrange your face! You're going to see what a martial artist can do!

By all means, show me, if you can! Lilith taunted.

Akane charged in, not knowing that she was about to make one of the biggest mistakes of her life.

At that time, a certain Lost Boy' and heir to the Saotome School of the Anything Goes Martial Arts wandered toward the soccer field.

To be continued...

Author's Notes

Yeah, I know I'm a fink for cutting the readers off at this point, but the chapter was so long, I had to make it into a two-parter. In any case, the fight between Akane and Lilith is going to leave Nabiki's sister with one _HELL_ of a lesson in humility, with the emphasis on _HUMILIATION_. We'll also see the appearance of another Darkstalker character, Bishamon, and more on Hsien Ko and Mei Lin. Plus, I've decided to include Gold Digger, Street Fighter and King of Fighters to this fic in later chapters. See you then!

(1) Lilith may not be as sexy as her mother,' but remember that she is derived from Morrigan, and therefore, would have all the innate traits of a succubus. She would be able to use these powers, with her seemingly innocent and cute appearance to hold sway over the opposite sex, depending on the strength of influence of his primal instincts. You can think of it as a kind of mystical pheromone, or love' aura. And unlike most girls of similar physical and mental age, she knows just _WHICH_ sexual buttons to push on men. She's sort of like a chibi Urd from Oh My Goddess. She may not have the goods, but she has the style.

(2) Some readers, (and I'm _NOT_ going to specify), have been complaining that I've been portraying Akane as nothing but a spoiled brat with no real reason. Well how about insecurity at being able to express herself as a _REAL_ girl, coupled with wounded pride? Personally, I really don't care much for her, but in this case, Lilith may have hit the head on the hammer with this one. 


	7. Chapter 6: The Samurai’s Curse

**BEAST WITHIN**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2, Darkstalkers, Hellsing and any other series mentioned in this story belong to their own creators.

- -: Thoughts

**Chapter 6 **

**The Samurai's Curse **

Matthew sighed as he walked home. The duel between Akane and Lilith had turned out as he had expected. The so-called best martial artist in Nerima had no chance against a Darkstalker, and the short-tempered sister of Nabiki should consider herself fortunate that she had gotten off as easily as she did. Lilith had kept her promise and went easy on her opponent. Though in Darkstalker terms, it was still a bit much...

* * *

Flashback...

"Aaaaahhhhh!"

Akane charged blindly at her opponent, with the intent of ending the duel with one blow.

And the duel did end with one blow, however the Tendo girl wasn't the one who delivered it. Morrigan Aenslade's daughter smiled as she read her opponent's moves. For a mortal who thought she was the best fighter, she was _REALLY_ slow! By the time Akane had her fist cocked back, Lilith had extended her right hand and held it up in front of her adversary's face. With a single flick of her index finger, she sent Soun Tendo's daughter flying away.

To Akane, it felt as if she had been hit by a speeding truck. In actuality, Lilith had just used a small, focused amount of supernatural energy in her pointer digit. In Darkstalker terms, it was a trifling attack, like a slap on the wrist. However, in mortal terms, it was just by sheer luck that Akane had only received a sore jaw and several dozen bruises as she tumbled end over end on the ground. She came to a stop on her stomach with her face down and moaning. With but a single move, Lilith had defeated the heir to the Tendo Anything Goes.

There was a thunderous cheer as the hordes of Lilith fans stood up and applauded their new idol. The succubus smiled and waved cutely back at her admirers. The loudest among them was of course Kuno as he was jumping about and waving a pair of Japanese victory fans.

"Bravo, dear sweet Lilith! Bravo!"

Meanwhile, Nabiki and Matthew ran over to where Akane lay and checked on her condition.

"Will she be all right?" Nabiki asked with concern.

Matthew gave the girl a once over and nodded. "Yeah, she'll be okay, but she's going to be really sore for a week or so. She should consider herself lucky that Lilith wasn't serious about this match. If she went all out, then you wouldn't have anything left of Akane's body for the funeral. Even a well-trained martial artist would have a hard time of holding his own against a Darkstalker and..."

"Akane!"

* * *

End of flashback...

Matthew sighed again as he remembered what had happened after Akane had been humiliated and defeated by Lilith. It figured that 'Ranma' would show up at that time. After being lost for the last two weeks or so, he finally found his way to where he had just witnessed his fiance get beaten.

Now the werewolf had nothing personal against the so-called heir to the Saotome School of the Anything Goes Martial Arts. Though he knew the real truth, he wasn't about to let on that 'Ranma' was actually not Genma's son. It was Matthew who was really Ranma, though technically, he wasn't Genma's child either. A simple blood test would prove that. Matthew just didn't want that fat, lazy slob on his case, and trying to get him married in that half-baked scheme to unite the schools, just so that idiot could live off his sweat and the dojo for the rest of his life.

Matthew liked Nabiki just fine, but he wasn't about to be pushed into something against his will. And even if he did marry Nabiki, Matt still wouldn't carry on the dojo. No, strike that, take over the dojo, since there wasn't even a proper heir to the Tendo school's branch of the Anything Goes. Akane barely knew the basics, judging by how reckless and sloppy her techniques were. And a martial artist like Soun didn't even deserve to own a dojo, if he was just going to whine and cry, instead of continue taking students and maintain the school's legacy. Heaven help them if someone comes to challenge the dojo for the sign.

Matthew shook his head as he arrived at his apartment. As he came through the door, he was greeted by his father.

"Hello son. Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes and..." The Elder Talbain noted a few things about his offspring and asked, "Son, I sense that you had gotten involved in some kind of conflict."

"You could say that Dad."

"You can tell me about it over dinner. There is something I'd like to discuss with you as well."

* * *

The Tendo Home...

"Akane!!!" Soun blubbered as he dampened the floor of his home with his tears. After Nabiki had brought her home and let Kasumi tend to her injuries, she had filled in her father on what had happened. Naturally of course, Soun went into his Demon Head and had his old friend Genma cowering.

"_WHERE WAS YOUR SON?! WHY DIDN'T HE PROTECT HIS FIANCE?!_"

Genma was already in his Crouch of the White Tiger and was silently cursing himself for having such a weak son who lost to a foreigner. The honor of the Anything Goes was at stake and his 'son' had let him down. Oh what did he do to deserve such an unworthy heir?

In another room, 'Ranma' gritted his teeth as Kasumi applied some soothing cream to his bruises and cuts. The resulting fight between him and Matthew over defending Akane's honor had gone badly as his 'Ranma-always-wins' attitude had been given a rude wake-up call. In his mind, he went over the battle and shook his head.

* * *

Flashback...

"How could you have done that to her?" 'Ranma' demanded as he glared at Lilith.

The young succubi shrugged as she replied, "Don't blame at me. It was your girlfriend who was looking for a fight. I won, she lost. It's that simple."

"You little tramp!" Akane cried out as she tired to convince everyone that Lilith had not fought fairly. "There's no way you could have beaten me!"

'Ranma' clenched his fists at his sides as he glared at the Darkstalker. Sure Akane was violent, but she was his fiance. It was therefore his duty to avenge her honor.

Matthew then stepped forward and got between them. The last thing anyone needed was another conflict. He held up his hands and tried to smooth things over. "Uh look, the fight's already over and there's no need to get all worked up over this. Akane Tendo challenged Lilith Aenslade, she answered it, they fought, and Lilith won. Honor is satisfied and we should all just forget about..."

Just then, Lilith sidled up to him and snuggled against Matt's muscular back. She purred seductively and said, "Ooh, you've come to defend my honor, Matt? How very chivalrous of you!"

"Whoa! Wait a minute! I'm not...!"

"Hmph! I always knew you were a pervert, Matthew Talbane!" Akane shot out as she saw her opportunity to lash out at him. "Here you are, flirting with that slut, and cheating on my sister!"

"Hey! Now hold on!" Talbain cried out as he gently, but firmly pushed Lilith away. "Where do you get off accusing me of being a pervert, you little brat! I'm just trying to..."

"Where do you get off, insulting Akane?" 'Ranma' shot back as things started to heat up.

On the sidelines, Nabiki saw that things were about to get ugly and she started to pull Akane back. Though Nabiki knew that none of this was Matthew's doing, she had gotten a little jealous when that succubus hussy began making a play for beau.

Akane smiled a bit in triumph. Ranma would surely beat up that pervert Talbane and she was certain that her sister would see him as the cad that he was. Of course, it had _NOTHING_ to do with her earlier defeat from the wolf-fighter. Not at all.

"Look, I really don't want to fight you and..."

"What are you? A coward?" Genma's 'son' taunted. "I thought you were a martial artist? Let's see this Wolf-Style of yours, or are you going to run with your tail between your legs?"

By that point, Matthew had taken all that he could stand from this cocky jerk. He wanted a demonstration of the Talbain School of the Wolf-Fist. Fine. He got into a stance and let off a low growl, like a wolf that was about to tear into his prey.

'Ranma' got into a stance as well and took on an arrogant air. This would not take very long.

* * *

End of flashback...

'Ranma' groaned again. The fight was indeed short, but he did not expect to be the loser.

As far as he could remember, 'Ranma' had trained extensively with his father during their ten-year journey, (though for the life of him, he couldn't remember the first 6 years). It was discovered early on that his innate talents lay in strength and endurance, rather than speed and agility like his father's style. As a result, the training had been modified to suit him. (1)

'Ranma' shuddered as he remembered all of those strength and endurance-training exercises, to build up his toughness and ability to withstand pain. He thought that he could take anything that an opponent could dish out, but Matthew Talbane's fighting style was something else entirely. For one thing, he hit a LOT harder than any opponent that Genma's heir had ever faced before, including his 'father.' And the gaijin's speed and agility was inhuman. He did not try to exchange blows with him in a power match, but rather used quick attacks with sudden bursts of power to wear him down, then finished him off with one final technique...

* * *

Flashback...

"Aaaarrrggghhh!"

'Ranma' tried to connect with a wild right, but Matthew easily slipped under the blow, let loose with several jabs to the face, then whipped his right leg about in a devastating roundhouse kick. His right foot glowed with a white light as he connected with his opponent's jaw.

"SPIN RAZOR!" (2)

The heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes went down in a heap.

* * *

End of Flashback...

He had to admit, Matthew knew some pretty powerful moves and 'Ranma' needed to increase his training regime in order to catch up. The more he thought about it, the more depressed he became over the fact that a foreigner was far more advanced in the Art than he was. It was obvious that Talbane knew how to focus his ki, and 'Ranma' would have to learn as well.

With that in mind, he decided to later question his father on the Forbidden Techniques that he had once spoken of. Maybe he could find a method to counter Matthew's Wolf-Style.

Now which way was the bathroom again?

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Talbain residence...

"Son, you're hurt!" Jon remarked as he noted a small bruise on his offspring's left side. Currently, his son had taken off his shirt in order to practice his katas.

"Huh?" Matt looked down at his side and shrugged. "Ah, it's nothing. That Ranma jerk got in a lucky shot and I let my guard down for a second."

"Matt, this is not something that should be ignored. If it were just a regular injury, I wouldn't think much of it, but this bruise hasn't healed completely yet. If I didn't know better, I'd say that you had gotten hurt by magical means."

"Magic? Ranma didn't have any magic... oh, wait a minute. I guess that curse he's under would count."

"Curse?"

"Yeah, Nabs told me all about it. Ranma and Genma are under a couple of Jusenkyo curses that changes them with cold water. You remember that Cursed Springs place we visited a few months ago in China? Well, they didn't listen to the Guide like we did and they ended up in the Springs of Drowned Panda and Pig."

"Ah, I see. Yes, I suppose that being under a Jusenkyo curse would give your opponent some mystical qualities. You'd best be careful in the future against him. And speaking of Jusenkyo, I just received a message from an old friend in China. We'll talk about it over dinner."

* * *

That night, at the Kuno Estate, the so-called Blue Thunder smiled as he gazed upon his latest acquisition. He knew that he had to impress his goddess Aenslade. Showing up in this ancient armor of the powerful and majestic samurai would surely prove his worthiness!

Little did the idiot know that the Cursed Armor of Bishamon carried within it an ancient bloodlust. As the foolish samurai wannabe began donning the armor, the spirit of its former wielder started to take hold of Kuno's psyche.

Tatewaki laughed as he looked at his image in a full-length mirror and held up the katana which came with the armor. Truly he was the living personification of the legendary warriors of the past. Lilith Aenslade would indeed see the nobility of the Kuno line and then she would...

At that moment, an icy chill spread across his body as a red haze started to wash over his field of vision. Something was causing his heart to beat even faster as his body trembled as a great and terrible power seemed to surge through his very soul. Then he heard an ominous voice in his head...

-_Kill... kill... kill... kill..._ -

Then the Kuno Mansion quaked as a bloodthirsty scream echoed throughout the walls...

* * *

Furinken High, two days later...

"Hey Nabs." Matthew said as he gave his girlfriend the usual greeting of a kiss on the cheek.

Nabiki smiled as she returned the kiss on Matt's cheek. "Hey, good-looking." She took a quick glance through the corner of her left eye at the nearby crowds of girls and smiled. The expressions of jealousy on the other females made her feel even more confident in her own femininity. With all the other boys after Morrigan Aenslade's daughter, she was glad to be the only other girl who wasn't spending her Friday nights alone.

"So how's your sister?" Matthew asked as he and Nabiki walked toward the school's front door. "Is she doing okay?"

Akane's sister shrugged. "She's still sulking over her defeat and saying that Aenslade cheated, but she'll get over it. As for Ranma, well he got lost again and I doubt I'll see him for at least a week. Although he was kind of gung ho over training to beat you. He's really cocky and when you beat him, his ego took it personally and... well, it's not something you should be worried about. I mean, you can't be beaten by a normal person, right?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that." Matthew admitted as he remembered back to the bruise his adversary had given to him. "The Jusenkyo curse he's got does give him a chance to hurt me. Normally, my super-fast healing abilities can handle up to a missing limb or certain organs, but I am vulnerable to magical energies as well as silver or another lycanthrope's attacks. The mystical energies of his curse can cause me pain. That hit he managed to land on me took a little longer to heal."

Nabiki became concerned when she was told of this. Judging by the way Ranma and his father sparred, being told that her werewolf boyfriend could be hurt by that baka was not very encouraging. She had just gotten someone special interested in her and didn't want to see him hurt. She decided to change the subject.

"Speaking of egotistical idiots, I haven't seen Kuno for a couple of days. He didn't show up for class and no one has been able to contact him at his home. And there has been some strange rumors going about near the neighborhood where he lives."

"Really? What kind of rumors?"

"I know it sounds really crazy, but there have been some reports of some nut running around in ghostly samurai armor and attacking people. Twelve bodies have been found so far. You know how much Kuno thinks of himself as some great samurai warrior, right? Do you think that this might be connected to him?"

"Well, let's not jump to conclusions." Matthew said cautiously. "I mean, Kuno may think he's a samurai, but he's just a wannabe and not a killer. Nobody would be crazy enough to go running about like he's Musashi or something. It's probably some hoax or something..."

"Why don't we check it out? It sounds like fun!"

Both Matthew and Nabiki were surprised when Lilith suddenly showed up out of nowhere.

"ACK! Where did you come from?!" Nabiki said as she tried to calm down her sudden increase in heart rate.

Matthew growled a bit as he remembered how the succubus had gotten him involved with Akane and 'Ranma.' "What do you want, Lilith?"

Morrigan's daughter chuckled lightly as she caressed his chin with a finger, making Nabiki a little irritated. "Oh don't be that way, Matt. I just wanted to thank you for defending my honor that time."

"I didn't do it for you." The werewolf snarled slightly. "I just wanted to keep things from getting too far out of hand!"

"Well, it was still very gallant of you. Now what's this I hear about a Ghost Samurai?"

"Look, it's none of your business and I think it's all just a big hoax anyway." Matthew waved her off as he took Nabiki's hand and began walking away from her.

Lilith smiled as she said nonchalantly. "Oh, I suppose you're right and it probably has NOTHING to do with the Cursed Armor of Bishamon."

Her statement stopped Talbain's son in his tracks as he slowly turned back toward the succubus, who was now taking on a most innocent expression.

"Lilith..."

The slender girl smiled as she said, "Well now, do you think this whole thing might still be a hoax?"

* * *

At lunch...

"Okay Lilith, how did you know about Bishamon's armor?" Matthew asked as he, Nabiki and Lilith were sitting at a bench in a secluded area near the soccer field.

"Oh, I heard from a few minor imps in the Makai Realm. A few days ago some foolish mortal had purchased that old armor. It's possible that it was my most devoted admirer." The succubus smiled as she took a dainty sip from her juice box.

"And you're just telling us NOW?! Do you realize just how dangerous that armor is?!"

"Well, I wasn't one hundred percent certain that it was Kuno, but I saw no point in following up on it. It wasn't any of my business after all of what mortals do."

"I don't understand. Just what is so dangerous about an old set of armor?" Nabiki asked.

"That's not just any set of armor, Nabiki." Matthew said. "Dad told me about it. Anyone who puts it on will receive the power of one of the most murderous samurai warriors in history. It happened sometime around the Tokugawa Era. It's said that a samurai named Bishamon made a pact with the dark forces of the Makai in order to become the greatest warrior. He was given a set of demon armor and a cursed sword that gained power every time blood was spilled."

Lilith nodded as she continued with the story. "Oh yes. Bishamon developed an insatiable bloodlust and went on quite a rampage. He killed all of his enemies, his allies, innocent bystanders, and even beheaded the Shogun that he had sworn fealty to."

Matthew then finished the tale. "In the end, his bloodlust grew so much, that his mortal body and soul became consumed by the very armor he wore. Now, that thirst for combat and the need to kill inhabits that damned armor and will infect anyone who wears it. The person will go on killing and killing until his body and soul expires."

Nabiki turned a bit pale at the thought as she said, "If what you're saying is true, then Kuno is..."

"We don't know if Kuno is the one who's been killing people, but we may have to look into this." Matthew said. "And I happen to know of some people who may already be involved..."

* * *

Hellsing HQ in Japan...

Integra Wingates nodded as she finished reading the files. Though her organization's main goal was to combat vampires, she could not ignore the fact that another source of evil had just appeared and must be dealt with.

In the shadows of her office, a certain fanged individual appeared. Alucard nodded to his master as he gave his report.

"I have investigated the scenes where the bodies had been found and it is indeed the handiwork of Bishamon, or rather that of his armor and sword. The cuts can only have been made with a katana and I sensed the signs of the ancient bloodlust of the samurai. Such a waste to spill so much prime human blood and not consume it."

"This is most serious Alucard." The leader of Hellsing said as she considered what to do. "Whoever is inhabiting that armor must surely be lost to the killing urges of that cursed warrior. He is no more than a mindless beast now, and we cannot allow it to roam free."

"So I am free to find the armor and... deal with it?" The vampire asked.

"You are." Wingates replied with a firm tone. "By any means necessary. The human soul cannot be saved at this point, so you may do what it takes to set it free. Make certain that the armor is destroyed."

"As you command." Alucard bowed to her and disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

At another hidden location in Tokyo, a certain member of an unorthodox branch of the Vatican stirred within a technological chamber.

Nearby a technician nodded at his console and took in the data on his readouts.

Paladin Anderson had taken quite of time to regenerate after being nearly blown apart by B. Bonnie Hood, but his creators were certain that their servant of God would be ready for his next confrontation with the creatures of the night. After hearing of the appearance of the Cursed Samurai, the members of Hellsing's rival organization worked around the clock to get their greatest weapon back on his feet. And once Anderson was fully recovered, then woe to anyone who stood in his way.

This time, there would be no escape for the Darkstalkers...

* * *

Later, as the sun was setting...

"So what are you going to do?" Nabiki asked as she and her boyfriend walked home from school.

"I'm not really sure Nabs." Matt replied as he considered his options. "Maybe I should ask Dad for some help. He's got more experience with dealing in this kind of thing than I do."

True, Kuno was a total moron with delusions of samurai greatness, but even he didn't deserve to be under the spell of the cursed spirit of Bishamon. According to the legends, whosoever dons the armor gains not only the demonic sword skills of the bloodiest samurai that ever lived, but the soul of the victim would become enslaved forever to the murderous urges of Bishamon, in which only death could free him.

"We can't just let Kuno go running around killing people." Nabiki pointed out.

"Yeah, but this isn't like taking on an ancient mummy like Anakaris. We're talking about an innocent life here and I'm not going to kill unless I absolutely have to."

"There are times when death is the only solution, young werewolf."

Both stopped in their tracks when they heard the ghostly voice in their heads. They looked about and wondered where it came from. Matt sniffed about with his sensitive nose and tuned in his mystical senses. He then pointed to a nearby alleyway. When they entered the darkened area, Nabiki almost screamed when she saw a certain bloodsucker emerge from the shadows.

Alucard smiled as he recognized Nabiki and gave her a nod. "Ah, it is good to see you again, Miss Tendo."

Nabiki felt goosebumps on her goosebumps as the vampire lord smiled at her showing, displaying an impressive set of fangs. She then recalled his face from the time at the museum and said in a stuttering tone,

"It... it's... you. You... were the one... who saved..."

"Indeed. I did so as a favor to the son of my ally, Jon Talbain."

Matthew stepped forward to confront his father's old acquaintance. "So what brings you here Alucard?"

"You know my name?"

"Yeah, Dad told me about you."

"Ah, I see. In any case, to answer your question, I am here on the orders of my master to take care of a certain set of cursed samurai armor. From what I heard, you may know some of the details."

"Hold on. What are you planning to do when you find it?"

The vampire nodded as he replied simply, "My master commands me to destroy it, of course."

"But what about Kuno?" Nabiki asked.

"He will have to be destroyed along with it." Alucard said simply.

"What?! Just like that?! But you can't just kill someone in cold blood!"

"It is already far too late, Nabiki Tendo. By now, the cursed armor has completely taken over this Kuno person's soul. The fact that he has already killed dozens of humans in two days indicates that he has totally given himself over to the murderous intents of Bishamon. I daresay that deep down, he wants to be the samurai."

"No, it can't be. Sure, Kuno can get really annoying with his 'I'm a samurai' bit, but he's never gone that far and killed someone."

At that moment, a lithe figure came down from above and landed lightly on his feet. Jon Talbain nodded to his son.

"Dad? What are you doing here?"

The elder lycanthrope replied. "Alucard contacted me and informed me on what's been going on. He needs to have someone who can track down his target and I'm... already familiar with Bishamon's armor, since I've encountered it before."

"Really?"

"Yes. It was about a year before I found you son."

-_Found him? What does he mean?_- Nabiki wondered as Talbain explained his connection with the samurai's curse.

"It was around eleven years ago. I was in London at the time, and I came across the armor when I visited the museum near Scotland Yard. I didn't think it would be of harm to anyone locked up in that case, but when thieves broke in to steal it, I sensed a great surge of dark energies. I tracked down the armor to a warehouse, when I encountered the ringleader of the gang. They had intended to sell the armor on the black market, but the leader of those thieves became cursed by the murderous soul of Bishamon and slaughtered his men."

"What happened next?" Matthew asked.

"When I came across Bishamon's armor, it nearly did me in, being powered by dark, mystical energies. Luckily for me, it was a full moon that night and I was at the peak of my abilities. I managed to get the armor off that man, but he was already too far gone. I was forced to put him out of his misery. Then that cursed armor and sword tried to possess me. I threw them into the Thames river, and that was the last I saw or heard of the armor, until now."

"And tonight, I shall require your skills, my friend." Alucard said. "There are no better trackers than werewolves and you are the best person to ask on how to deal with the armor. Shall we begin?"

Jon nodded as he triggered his transformation to his hybrid form, and gave his son and girlfriend his instructions. "You two go straight home, no arguments!" He then leapt up to an astounding sixty feet and began bounding over rooftops. Alucard became a bat and followed as the sun dipped below the horizon.

"Will your Dad be all right?" Nabiki asked as she watched the two of them leave.

"Oh, I've got no doubts that Dad will find Bishamon." Matt replied with some concern. "He could track down a gnat through a swamp after a heavy rain. But I can't let him go alone. I'm going after him."

With those words, Matthew triggered his own transformation and assumed his hybrid form. He turned to the middle Tendo daughter and said, "You better head home. Things are going to get dangerous."

"No wait...!" Nabiki called after him, but he was gone in a heartbeat.

* * *

Moving with incredible speed, Jon Talbain bounded from rooftop to rooftop. His keen sense of smell was heightened to mystic levels and could detect even the faintest odors. It wasn't long before he detected the unmistakable scent of an ancient evil.

-_It is near. I can smell the stench of the armor._-

Maintaining a telepathic link with his lupine companion, Alucard agreed in his bat form. -_Indeed. Even I can detect it. Such a waste of good blood._-

Jon snarled a bit as he too caught the telltale scent of blood, freshly spilled blood. The Curse of Bishamon was already destroying more innocent lives without remorse. The werewolf knew all too well the kind of bloodlust the armor was capable of inflicting on the victim who wore it. Judging by the amount of blood that was spilled, whoever was wearing the armor was completely in its thrall. There was no choice. The armor must be destroyed, along with the poor devil who was joined with it.

Talbain flexed his claws and reached behind his back to pull out his nunchakus. Jumping down from a four-story building, he landed in a ready stance. In front of him was a scene of carnage.

Kuno was breathing heavily as he stood over several corpses. In his hands was a monstrously-decorated katana, its blade dripping heavily of blood. The armor glowed with an eerie light as its malevolence continued to be fed into the delusional high-school teen. For Tatewaki, he had finally attained what he had always dreamed of, to become a samurai of awesome skill and power. However, it was the armor, rather than his own free will, which had been controlling his actions. Twin blue flames hovered near his shoulders as he turned to face his newest opponent.

Matthew's father tensed up as he readied to battle him. He could tell that his opponent did not possess any considerable skill, but with the armor controlling him, he had the power of a blood-mad samurai. And the look in Kuno's eyes told the werewolf all he needed to know. This was going to be a battle to the finish.

Kuno let off a blood-curdling battle cry and charged at him.

BA-KOOM!

The possessed adolescent pivoted on one leg and brought up his sword up to deflect the shot that had been aimed at his head. The chunk of blessed silver was expertly turned away. He then continued on toward his first target and started slashing away at lighting speed.

However, Jon Talbain was no slouch when it came to close-quarters combat. Using his nunchakus, he blocked every attack and countered with a flurry of punches and kicks.

High above, Alucard nodded as he held up his still-smoking gun. He had to admit, there weren't many who could deflect his bullets. And now that Jon Talbain was heavily engaged with his target, he could not get a clear shot. He couldn't risk shooting again, since Talbain might get hit. Even without being blessed, his silver bullets would most certainly kill his lycanthrope ally. He would have to bide his time until an opportunity presented itself. When he had the chance, he would end the rampage of Bishamon's armor... and Tatewaki Kuno's life.

* * *

Racing across the rooftops, Matthew used all of his extraordinary senses to home in on his father's whereabouts. He had to stop him from taking a life, no matter the circumstances and how much of a delusional jackass Kuno was. Killing was not an option. There had to be another way. As much as he disliked the wannabe samurai, it wasn't his fault that he was slaughtering innocents. If there was a way of removing the armor without destroying the person inside it...

Suddenly, a flash was seen off to one side and a shot was heard. Matthew twisted about and barely dodged the gunfire as silver-tipped bullets whizzed by his chest. He immediately went into a ready stance and whipped out his nunchakus. He snarled as he recognized a certain individual in a red hooded cloak stood a few feet away, brandishing an Uzi.

"You again?!"

B. Bonnie Hood smirked as she leveled her weapon at her target. "Yep. And I still mean to collect that bounty on your head. Speaking of which, I think your head stuffed and mounted over my fireplace mantle would look good."

"I don't have time for this!" Matthew growled.

"No problem." The cold-hearted Darkstalker hunter shrugged. "Your time is up anyway." Then she opened fire.

However, her quarry was not going to stand still and let her kill him. Reacting with his superhuman speed and reflexes, the young werewolf dodged the volley and moved in closer to engage his foe. He could only hope that he could finish this fight and stop his father from killing Kuno.

Charging up his weapon with a combination of ki and supernatural energies, he began swinging the chained clubs about in wide arcs and circles. The nunchakus flashed with light, flickering like a candle's flame in wind, hence the technique's name, Million Flicker. Every bullet was neatly deflected as the nunchakus were whipped about at supersonic speeds, giving off a snapping sound. At the same time, Matthew maneuvered closer to his opponent.

B. Bonnie Hood soon realized that her target would not be as easy a kill as she thought and had the advantage of close-quarters combat experience. If he got within striking range, then she would be torn to shreds. As her gun sputtered out its last rounds, she immediately reached behind her back for the silver-bladed dagger and prepared to slash at Matthew.

Talbain's son immediately caught the movement and raised his weapon to block the attack. He then charged forward in a nimbus of light. The Beast Cannon knocked the diminutive bounty hunter off her feet and send her reeling back several yards, causing her to lose her grip on her dagger and her basket of 'goodies.' Just as he was about to end the fight, B. Bonnie Hood pulled out something from her blouse and threw it at him. The werewolf instinctively batted the object away, which appeared to be an... apple?

_**BA-BOOM! **_

The building behind him exploded as part of its wall came tumbling down. Glass, wood, masonry and various other kinds of debris was sent flying all over the place. The force of the blast knocked Matthew forward, causing him to fall flat on his face, as his opponent used the distraction to escape. She had decided to retreat and hunt her prey another time.

It was then that the young lycanthrope heard a scream.

* * *

Jon Talbain tensed as he deflected yet another series of slashes from the possessed Kuno. The skill in which Kuno used to battle him went far beyond his kendo training and the dark magic within the blade was more than enough to kill him. The werewolf knew that he had to stop his opponent permanently. And that meant having to use his more lethal techniques.

Focusing all of his power into one final attack as his opponent charged at him, he parried a vicious thrust toward his abdomen, then let loose with an intense flash of energy with his claws. There was a long, agonizing moment as the two antagonists stood motionless facing opposite of each other. Then Kuno slumped forward as his right arm fell off his shoulder, the hand still clutching the demon sword of Bishamon. A moment later, the sword broke apart into several fragments. Then the armor also fell apart as the evil energy of the bloodthirsty samurai was dispersed.

Jon Talbain's Final Attack... the Razor Slice.

At that moment, Alucard appeared beside his ally and aimed his gun at the now unconscious Kuno. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Jon held out an arm and motioned him to step back.

"Wait!"

The vampire was a bit surprised that his lycanthrope friend was showing mercy to this deluded fool. Surely it would be best to put Kuno out of his misery. After all, he would most likely bleed to death after having his arm severed. At least this way, his end would be painless.

Jon however, had mellowed out a bit since Matthew had come into his life and sniffed about for the malevolence of Bishamon. For some unexplained reason, he couldn't detect it, and there was no trace of the madness left in Kuno. Could it be that destroying the armor and sword had purged him of the madness? If so, then there was no need to end his life.

To the amazement of the bloodsucker, the werewolf knelt down and began tending to Kuno's wounds. Using the techniques he had learned from the Chinese Amazons, he made a tourniquet, a roll of bandages and several other items appear.

"What are you doing?" Alucard inquired as he kept his gun trained on Kuno.

"Keeping this poor bastard from bleeding to death." Jon answered. "Alucard, please contact Hellsing and have them bring over a medical team. If we hurry, we might be able to save him."

"My orders were clear, Talbain. I am to destroy the armor and make certain that the Curse of Bishamon will never again threaten others."

"I sense nothing of Bishamon remaining in him." Talbain countered as he used some rare Chinese herbs to stem the bleeding and sterilize the wound. "The armor and sword are broken and whatever possessed this fool is gone. He is no longer a threat."

"I cannot take that chance."

"Believe me, old friend. I would KNOW if this person still possessed the bloodlust of that damned samurai. I don't know where that spirit went, but I have no wish to spill any more blood than I have to. Please, we can still save this one if we hurry."

Alucard considered Jon for a long moment, then nodded as he put away his gun. It wouldn't be the first time that he went against Sir Integra's orders, but what Jon said made sense. Why waste a bullet on something that wasn't a threat any more? He then reached into his left trenchcoat pocket and pulled out a cell phone.

* * *

"NABS!"

Matthew frantically began digging through the rubble when he saw that his girlfriend was underneath. Apparently, she had followed him and had gotten caught in the blast. The young werewolf became horrified when he saw her broken and bloody body. She let off a weak moan and looked up at him as he moved a large chunk of wood. He knelt down and cradled her in his arms.

"Nabiki! Nabiki! Speak to me! Say something!"

Soun Tendo's daughter coughed up blood and trembled as her body started to become stiff. Her body had been crushed and she had some internal bleeding. It was obvious that she was going to die.

"Nabs! Nabs! Don't die! Please, don't die!"

Matthew started to panic as her life began to slip away. He did not possess anything on his person that could heal injuries that were this severe. He couldn't lose her because of some gun-toting psycho who was after his head. He had to save her, but how?

Then he realized that there was only one way. There were dire consequences, but there was no other options. With one quick movement, he tore off the wolf-head pendant that was hanging around his neck and bared his fangs...

* * *

Later...

Jon Talbain, now in his human form, watched with satisfaction as Kuno was taken away by the Hellsing Medical Team. Beside him were Alucard and Sir Integra.

"I thank you for understanding, Sir Integra." Jon said.

Integra nodded. "Well, I suppose that since the spirit of Bishamon has left Kuno's body, then killing him is not required. With the armor and sword destroyed, the spirit has no medium in order to possess another. However, I would be more comfortable to know where it went and to have it destroyed permanently. For now, we will take care Kuno's wounds and see to it that he remembers nothing of his rampage. This will take some considerable time and effort to cover this up."

"I appreciate your help. I shall keep an eye out if Bishamon's spirit does reappear. As for now, I believe that my son is waiting for me to return home."

* * *

Somewhere else...

Deep within the depths of the Vatican hideout, a disembodied spirit floated near a large container. After being forced out the armor and sword, the essence of Bishamon had been searching for a new vessel to contain it. Eventually, it had been drawn toward the person contained within the chamber due to the individual's innate bloodlust and violent personality. The spirit probed at Paladin Anderson's form and then started to seep into it. The energies started to accelerate his healing factor to unprecedented levels as the ancient evil was again being resurrected.

This time, nothing will be able to stop it.

* * *

The Talbain residence...

Jon sighed and shook his head as he gazed upon the form lying on the couch. He couldn't believe that things had gotten this far out of hand. He gave his son a disapproving look, which made Matthew feel very sheepish.

Jon's son looked down at the floor, unable to meet his father's gaze, then replied in a quiet voice. "Well, what else could I do? She was about to die because of me! This was the only thing I could think of to save her!"

It was then that the person on the couch regained consciousness.

"Ooh! Where am I? What happened? Ow! I have one _HECK_ of a migraine!" Nabiki groaned as she started to sit up. She rubbed the side of her right temple.

Matthew's expression brightened at the sound of her voice then asked in very concerned tone. "Nabs! Are you okay? Are you still you?"

Nabiki gazed upon her boyfriend with a small smile, but also with a puzzled expression. "Huh? What do you mean am I still me? Of course I'm still me! What kind of question is that?"

Matthew then suddenly embraced her and let off a sigh of relied. "Thank God! We lucked out! You didn't lose yourself! I was afraid that you wouldn't remember who you were! You still retained your humanity!"

"Huh? What are you talking about? Why would I lose... myself...?" Her voice trailed off as she saw herself in a nearby wall mirror. She disengaged from Matthew's arms and stood up. She took on a look of utter disbelief as she walked toward the mirror and saw a furry face with pointed ears. She then looked down at herself and realized why her clothes seemed so tight on her, especially in the chest area. She had gained at least six inches in height and had grown two bra sizes. She was a D-cup! Her form was more lithe, but firmly toned with extra musculature. Her body had a fine, thin coat of light-brown fur and she then noticed something swishing behind her legs.

-_A tail? I have a tail?_-

She then turned around to face Matthew and his father in shock. Her expression needed no words as Jon Talbain's son answered her question.

"I'm sorry Nabs. You were dying. It was... the only way I could save you."

To be continued....

Author's Notes

Wow! It's been a while since I updated this story! Now things are going to get interesting as Nabiki begins to discover the joys and sorrows of being a lycanthrope. In the next episode, Paladin Anderson makes his return and with the spirit of Bishamon possessing him, things are going to get even more violent. Plus, we will also have the appearance of a couple more Darkstalkers. See you there!

(1) Keep in mind that this Ranma is actually Ryoga after Genma had used the memory-erasing shampoo on him. Therefore, for those of you who think he should be able to fight like Ranma, remember that he received the Anything Goes training much later than the original did and he DOESN'T have the same gifts that Ranma had, such as his innate talent to learn techniques quickly and also to adapt during a fight. Ryoga's physical skills lay in strength and power, rather than agility and mid-air combat like in the Saotome style. Genma noticed that his replacement Ranma didn't have the same abilities as his heir, so he had to use different tactics in training him. If one remembers the original series, Cologne did try to teach Ryoga the Chestnut Fist, but he proved unsuitable for it.

That's the main difference between Ranma and Ryoga. Ranma can learn ANY technique, up to a certain degree. He did manage to do the Shi Shi Hokodan, though he couldn't get it up to where Ryoga was able, since he couldn't reach that level of depression. So Ranma adapted it to become the Moko Takabisha. Same principle in this story.

(2) This is a Horizontal Version of Jon Talbain's Climb Razor kick. 


	8. Chapter 7: Back to China

**THE BEAST WITHIN**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2, Darkstalkers, Hellsing and all other characters mentioned belong to their respective creators so I hope you won't bother me with some silly lawsuits.

- -: Thoughts

[ ]: Spoken in Mandarin/Cantonese

**Chapter 7**

**Back to China**

Nabiki gazed upon her image as she stood naked in front of the mirror. She did a slow turn as she took in every detail of her new she-wolf body, which was like a cross between a showgirl and a power-lifter's. She was now slightly taller than Matthew in his human form. She had practiced Yoga in the past to keep fit, but now she had more sensuous curves in her hips and thighs. Though she was also more muscular, this only added to her sexuality as she emitted an exotic aura. Every part of her body was well-toned and firm, especially in her buttocks. Her fur was silken in texture and her pointed ears gave her a kind of mischievous appearance. Her tail swayed gently behind her. She looked down at her hands and noted that they now sported very sharp claws, but her fingers were slender and graceful. Then she gazed down at her bosom and made a note to go shopping for some new bras. Her enlarged breasts were at least a 34C, maybe even a D! As she shook her chest slightly, she noticed that her breasts jiggled, but they didn't sag. Rather they protruded out very proudly.

The middle Tendo daughter had to admit... she looked HOT!

Now the main question was, how was she going to explain this to her family?

* * *

In the living room, Jon and his son continued to discuss about what to do about Nabiki's unplanned transformation.

"Son, if you had just obeyed my orders and went straight home, then we could have avoided this!"

"But Dad! Nabiki followed me!" Matthew protested.

"Which she wouldn't have done if you had not followed me." Jon pointed out sternly, then he let off a tired sigh. "I suppose that arguing over who is to blame is pointless now. We can't change what is already done. We have no choice now. Nabiki will have to stay with us for a while, at least until she is able to cope with her lycanthropy."

* * *

Later...

Jon Talbain in his human form, knocked lightly on the guestroom door and asked if he could enter. With Nabiki's assent, he opened the door and went inside. He saw that his guest was now wearing some of his son's clothes, since her own were ragged and too tight for her now. She was clad in a pair of dark slacks and a blue T-shirt. Her new tail hung over the loose waistband.

"How are you feeling, Miss Tendo?"

Soun's daughter nodded as she replied. "I'm fine... all things considered. You can call me Nabiki, Mr. Talbain."

"Very well Nabiki."

She looked down at herself for a long moment, then addressed him. "I can't believe that I was just dying a few hours ago and now I'm..."

"Fanged and furry." Jon finished for her. "I must admit, you are taking all of this rather well."

Nabiki shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I know Matthew did it to save me, and... well..."

"I know that it's a lot to get used to. You'll find that you now possess abilities and senses that far exceed any that you had before." Talbain produced a small, metal object from his back pants pocket. Nabiki recognized the instrument.

"A dog whistle?"

Jon nodded as he put the whistle to his mouth and blew on it. Immediately Nabiki covered her ears and winced as she heard a high-pitched whine. Then Matthew's father stopped blowing and nodded. "Normally, you wouldn't have been able to hear this."

"Ow!" She rubbed her ears a bit. "Is THAT what a dog whistle sounds like?"

"Now you know why dogs answer the call. It's so they don't have to hear it again." He put away the instrument. "Your sense of hearing can now pick up sounds that a normal human can't. Your other senses are magnified too, and you'll discover many other abilities as well. My son and I will fill you in on the details during our trip."

"Trip?"

"Yes. I received a message from an old friend of mine in China and we are leaving in two days. Since we can't leave you behind in your current... condition, I thought that it would be best that you accompany us."

"But..."

"Unless you WANT to go back to your family as you are now?"

Nabiki stopped short at that question. Matthew's father raised a good point. She couldn't even begin to think of how to explain to her family and friends that she was now a werewolf. She could just imagine her father bawling his eyes out, lamenting that his daughter had become a monster. However, she couldn't just up and leave so suddenly.

Jon noted the hesitancy in her expression. "Don't worry Nabiki. I'll take care of all the details with your family and the school. I'm certain that they won't mind if you leave for a few days or so."

"But, I can't just up and leave like this. Can't I just change back? I mean, Matthew can become human, so couldn't I do the same?"

"No, you can't."

"Why not?"

Jon took a deep breath, then started to explain. "I assume that my son told you that if a werewolf bites someone, then that person becomes a weaker version of the original?"

"Yes."

"Matthew and I are natural-born werewolves. What we have is what is called Primary or True Lycanthropy. This allows us to shift back and forth between forms." He briefly demonstrated by assuming his hybrid form, then became human. "What you have is Secondary Lycanthropy. Right now, you're locked in hybrid form. As a result, you can't change back. And you must admit, that it would be difficult for you to go back home and attend school as you are now."

"So I'm trapped in this form?" Nabiki asked with some fear in her tone. Sure, being an exotic she-wolf had its appeal, but she didn't want to stay like this forever.

"Not to worry, Nabiki." Jon assured. "We do have some means to temporarily hide your appearance until we can come up with a more lasting solution. In the meantime, we're going to have to train you in controlling your new abilities."

"But..."

"I'm sorry Nabiki, but it has to be this way. You can think of this as a kind of training journey. Your father being a martial artist, would understand." -_Though from what I heard, he's not a very good martial artist._- Jon added mentally as he had been informed by Matthew that Soun Tendo owned a dojo, but hasn't had any students for well over ten years and was deep in debt. What kind of martial artist would let his dojo fall into such a state? According to what his son had told him, the Tendo patriarch didn't even have a proper heir to carry on his family's fighting style. Akane's skills were sloppy and unrefined. It was obvious that Soun had not trained her very much or very hard. It looked like Akane's father had pinned all of his hopes on uniting the Anything Goes Schools, in order to ensure the dojo's future. Good luck with that, considering that Genma's son Ranma' wasn't even his true son.

And even if Matthew was found out to be the real Ranma, it still wouldn't matter since he was not obligated to fulfill that pledge. He was Jon's son and a simple blood test would prove it.

Jon tabled his thoughts for later. Nabiki tried to protest further, but

Matthew's father would not take no for an answer.

* * *

Two days later...

Nabiki couldn't believe it as she looked out the window and gazed upon the Sea of Japan, as the private jet flew toward the China coastline. Sitting beside her was Matthew and in front of her was his father. This was the first time she had ever traveled abroad and she was more than excited to be visiting a foreign country. She then looked down at the wolf-head pendant she was now wearing.

As he had promised, Jon had provided her with the means to keep her new form temporarily hidden. The enchantment on the necklace kept her in her human form, but it could only do so for five hours. She had been wearing it, when she, Matthew and Jon had went to visit her family and explain to them that she would be accompanying them. He had also called Furinken High and got permission from the School Board to give his son and Nabiki a leave of absence.

At first, Nabiki's father protested, but with a little persuasion, (Matthew's father could be quite persuasive), and a very sizeable addition to the family's bank accounts, it didn't take long for Soun to agree. This of course had Genma jumping for joy as he entertained thoughts of how to spend the money. Nabiki's father was also pleased to hear that his other daughter was taking an interest in the Art.

Kasumi gave her sibling a fond farewell and hoped that she would return soon. As for Akane, she feigned indifference, though Nabiki knew that her younger sister was jealous that she wasn't going along to train and travel. Of course, she scowled at Matthew's presence, and warned Nabiki not to let that pervert get too close.

Nabiki came out of her reverie when the pilot announced that they would be landing in Beijing in two hours.

Matthew looked over to her and asked, "Is everything all right, Nabs?"

"Everything is fine." She replied. "Though I'm still a bit overwhelmed by what's happened in the last few days."

"Oh... well, okay." He started to feel awkward as he was still feeling guilty about turning her into a lycanthrope. He then changed the subject. "Oh, Nabs. I have to tell you that when we get to the Amazon village, you really got to be careful about what you say and do. The Joketsuzoku are a very proud people and anything that they interpret as a threat or an insult, will be taken very seriously."

"Okay, so if I mind my own business and don't pick any fights, then I'll be fine, right?" An image of Akane came to mind, and she could just see her short-tempered sister getting into trouble within five minutes of meeting the Amazons. According to what Matthew had told her about the warrior women, Akane wouldn't last a minute if she started on her I'm a martial artist' attitude.

"Yes." Matt nodded, then added, "Oh, and don't let on that you're a werewolf now, and that I bit you. I'll never get any peace if THAT gets out." He shuddered at the thought of Shampoo and the other Amazons nagging and begging him to turn them into lycanthropes, once it got out that Nabiki had gotten bit without losing her humanity. They might get the idea that it would be safe for them to be infected with Secondary Lycanthropy.

* * *

A day later in a clothing store in Beijing...

"What do you think?" Nabiki asked as she posed in front of Matthew in a form-fitting Chinese silk dress. The garment was a light, pale blue, and molded well to her figure. It was a short-sleeved version of the traditional dress worn by the women of Beijing, and had a long slit that ran up the length of her right leg, and stopped halfway up her thigh, (think Chun Li from Street Fighter). The front of the dress had a golden dragon pattern etched on it. Currently, the two were located in a private area of the store.

"It looks good on you, Nabs." The young werewolf admitted. "But weren't we supposed to get more suitable clothes for the trip into the Quing Hai Province? I mean, that dress isn't going to hold up in the Bayankala Mountain Range."

"Oh please! Can't I have just ONE dress? I've always wanted to have one of these!" Nabiki put on her cutest pout, making it hard for Matt to resist. After all, she would never get another chance to do this kind of foreign shopping, especially with Jon footing the bill for their trip. "And I promised Kasumi that I'd get her some Oolong Tea. Daddy wants some cigarettes and rice wine, and Mr. Saotome wants some kind of Miracle Grow Hair Shampoo. I think he said it was Formula 247."

Jon Talbain's son sighed and then nodded. "Okay. I guess a few souvenirs wouldn't hurt." -_Although I doubt that anything could make hair grow on that bald wasteland of Pop's_- He mentally added. "Just don't take too much stuff that isn't essential. We're going to be traveling light. Either buy some small souvenirs or wait until after our business is finished with the Amazons to do some shopping for yourself and your family." He then heard a small beeping and looked down at his wristwatch. "It's time."

Kasumi and Akane's sister let off a sigh as she reached down to her backpack and took out another wolf's head pendant. She put it on, then removed the one she was wearing. "It's such a bother to have to switch these things every five hours." She then stored the first necklace into her pack.

"You know that the enchantment only lasts for five hours, then needs to recharge itself for five hours. It's a good thing that Dad had two of these pendants available so you can exchange them and keep yourself from... bursting out of your clothes."

He blushed when he thought back to that time after they had left the airport. Nabiki had not exchanged her pendants fast enough and transformed into her lycanthrope form, ripping her clothes to shreds. Matthew got a nosebleed after seeing her scantily-clad, exotic she-wolf body, then almost fainted when she hastily put on the second pendant. Suddenly shrinking back down to her human body had caused what was left of her garb to fall off, leaving her naked.

Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, he added, "Oh, and keep out of sight during the nights of a full moon. Those pendants won't be able to stop you from transforming, since your powers will be at their peak. Now let's get some traveling clothes for you."

* * *

A day later...

"Shei shei." (1) Jon said as he thanked the shopkeeper, then stowed away his purchases into his pack. He motioned for his son and their guest to follow as he led them toward the outskirts of the small town. From there until they reached Jusenkyo and the Joketsuzoku, they would be roughing it through the wilderness.

Nabiki was a bit awed at the rugged terrain, since she had spent all of her life in Tokyo. For some strange reason, being in the wild made her excited, rather than fearful. The sights, the sounds and especially the smells, stimulated her in ways she never knew. Furthermore, it was a lot easier than she thought. Though she was carrying a backpack that weighed at least a hundred and fifty pounds, it felt as if she was toting an empty plastic bag. Her endurance was phenomenal and she did not feel the least bit tired, despite having walked over fifty miles without rest or complaint.

During the initial stages of their journey, Jon and Matthew noticed the changes in their traveling companion. Despite being suppressed by the pendant, a large amount of her werewolf abilities was still bleeding over into her human body, making her physically stronger and with more acute senses. She was occasionally sniffing about, catching the various and subtle differences in odors. Her ears twitched every now and then, picking up the faintest sounds, even when they were several dozen yards away. At times, she was almost overwhelmed by the flood of stimuli that her surroundings caused.

Matthew's father made a note to begin her training as soon as possible. She needed to learn some measure of control before they reached the Amazons.

* * *

A few days later...

"Nice." Matthew commented as Nabiki easily jumped twenty feet up to the rocky ledge that he was standing on.

His girlfriend looked down in surprise at the place she had been a second ago. "I did that?" She had not even thought about it when she had hopped up from a standing position. Her violent sister Akane was still unable to clear three feet. Mr. Saotome and his son' were able to leap up to thirty feet, but they had been training for years and even then they could only jump like that with some effort. Nabiki had only begun her training in the Talbain Wolf-Fist style only three days ago. Was she already stronger than her sibling and catching up with the Saotomes?

Matthew nodded. "Yeah, you did that. Nice thing about being a werewolf. Even in your human form, a lot of that power transfers over. But you landed without any problems. Even I didn't do that, during the first few days of my training. Dad says that you're a natural, and you're picking up fast on the basics of our family's style. How come you never trained in the Anything Goes?"

Nabiki shrugged. "I guess I was too busy keeping my family from ending up on the streets. When Akane started training, I decided to let her become the heir to the Tendo Anything Goes."

"If you ask me, your father should have trained you, not her." Matthew commented, causing her to blush slightly.

In comparison, Nabiki had more of the innate qualities than her sister to pursue the martial arts. She had learned early of the benefits of keeping one's cool and mental control. Akane tended to let her anger and pride get the better of her. Nabiki planned ahead and looked at the big picture. Akane charged recklessly and never considered consequences. The middle sister showed signs of early maturity and discipline. The youngest sister still let her emotions run rampant and threw tantrums.

Then again, when you had a whining crybaby like Soun Tendo as a sensei, one couldn't expect anything different. An incompetent master would yield an equally incompetent student. It may be just as well that Nabiki was learning from Matt's father. He knew from experience that Jon was a hard taskmaster, but he was fair and focused on bringing out the best in his disciples. In the last few days, he had drilled her constantly, and often she would collapse from exhaustion, despite her increase in strength and endurance.

"Hurry up you two!" Jon called to them as he was well ahead of them. "We're going to clear this part of the mountains by lunch!"

The pair nodded as they started to pick up the pace.

* * *

Back in Tokyo...

Meanwhile, a certain samurai spirit began to stir as Paladin Anderson was entering the final phase of his cellular regeneration. And even his superiors did not know of the potential danger as they waited for their weapon against the vampires was being resurrected. Unlike before, Anderson was not going to just destroy the undead, but everything he saw would be his target. The essence of Bishamon did not discriminate between good, evil or indifferent.

* * *

In the village of the Amazons...

["So the Talbains will be here soon, Great-Grandmother?"] Shampoo asked.

["Yes child."] The elderly Amazon replied. ["I received a letter from Matthew's father several days ago. He expects to arrive at Jusenkyo within a week from now."]

["I can't wait to see Matthew again! I'm sure he'll bite me this time!"]

["Don't get your hopes up, Shampoo."] Cologne warned. ["His father told me that they were adamant against spreading their lycanthropy. Although I wouldn't mind if you and a few of our best warriors were to gain some of their power, he did warn us that those who are bitten might become savage and uncontrollable."] -_And I would definitely not mind if Matthew became my son-in-law._- She added silently. ["The Talbains are coming to help us with our ghost problem."]

["They are staying afterwards, right? Maybe I can get Matthew to... you know?"]

["Perhaps."] Cologne agreed.

* * *

"So why are we going to this Amazon village?" Nabiki asked Jon as they made their way through a forested area of the Bayankala Mountains.

The older werewolf nodded as he answered. "One of the Elders contacted me. Apparently her village is having problems with a couple of Kuang-Shi."

"Kuang-Shi?"

"Kuang-Shi are Chinese ghosts." Matthew explained. "Dad told me that Cologne's people had accidentally disturbed an ancient seal and let those spirits out. They called us for help since my Dad has had experience in dealing with ghosts and other kinds of Darkstalkers. This will be my first time in handling specters."

"Yes, this be a good training exercise for you." Jon pointed out. "From what Cologne had said in her message, the spirits of Hsien Ko and Mei Lin are quite formidable. She also told me that they were once the daughters of the founder of the Hidden Weapons School of Combat. Spirit wards and various spells have proven ineffectual against them, and their current users of Hidden Weapons were easily defeated."

"You mean that dope Mousse tried to fight them?" Matt winced as he remembered the numerous scuffles he's had with Shampoo's myopic would-be suitor.

"Yes, and he failed miserably." His father replied.

"Who?" Nabiki inquired.

The younger lycanthrope shrugged. "He's a moron who thinks that he's going to marry a friend of mine, even though Shampoo wants absolutely nothing to do with him. He'll hug anybody and anything, and I mean _ANYTHING_, if he thinks if it's Shampoo. He's so near-sighted that he couldn't see a mountain if he was standing in front of it. Shampoo's Great-grandmother Cologne also gets annoyed."

"Mousse? Shampoo? Cologne? Are were talking about Amazons, or hair care and cosmetics?"

"No. Those are their real names, or what they sound like in Japanese. Don't let them fool you. The Chinese Amazons are definitely in a different league than the martial artists you've seen in Tokyo. Shampoo's Great-grandmother may be over three-hundred, but she can definitely kick your Dad's butt and the Saotomes'. She can give my Dad a run for his money, even in his hybrid form."

"She's really that strong?"

"She is." Jon affirmed. "And because of a pact that our family has made with the Amazons six hundred years ago, we are honor-bound to aid them in their times of need, especially against the supernatural. In exchange, we have been able to train in their secret techniques."

"What kind of techniques?" The middle Tendo daughter asked.

"If I told you, then they wouldn't be secret, now would they? Once again, we must remind you to be on your best behavior when we are at the village. Also, do not let them know that you have Secondary Lycanthropy. As far as they are concerned, you are my guest and Matthew's schoolmate. They are very wary of outsiders and some of their laws concerning them may seem strange to you. Understand?"

Nabiki nodded as they continued toward their final destination.

* * *

Five days later...

"Here sirs and lady. We come to famous Training Grounds of Cursed Springs, Jusenkyo!" (2) The guide gestured to the many pools and bamboo poles which were scattered about the secluded valley.

Nabiki looked about and could just imagine Genma and Ranma' coming to this place and landing in the Springs of Drowned Panda and Piglet. How they could have trained here and NOT asked the guide as to why it was considered dangerous was beyond her. Her lycanthrope senses were already acute enough to detect the chaotic mystic energies emanating from this place.

It was at that moment that she saw a group of women approaching them from another entrance. All were dressed in exotic clothes and many carried various hand to hand weaponry such as swords, spears, tonfa, and so forth. The girl in the front of the group smiled as she caught sight of Matthew and began running up to him. She had long, purple hair and had a lithe, yet voluptuous figure, with a bosom that bounced with every step. She wore a very short, pink silk dress that showed off her fabulous legs and matching sandals.

"_NIHAO MATTHEW!_"

Nabiki's eyes narrowed as Matthew gave her a good-natured wave.

* * *

Shampoo, remembering that this was supposed to be a formal greeting, stopped herself just before she impulsively embraced her intended love-interest. She quickly composed herself and stood before Matthew, Jon and their guest. She gave them a polite bow and spoke.

["Greetings. I bring you welcome from the Joketsuzoku and Elder Cologne."]

Jon nodded as he responded. ["On behalf of the Talbains, I hereby receive your welcome. It is good to see you again, Shampoo. How is your great-grandmother?"]

Shampoo nodded. ["She is doing fine. Everyone in the village is eagerly waiting for you and Matthew."] It was then that she noticed Nabiki. ["Who is she?"] She asked with some suspicion.

The Tendo girl tensed up when Shampoo gestured toward her. Though she only understood bits and pieces of Cantonese and Mandarin, (Matthew had been teaching her a few phrases over the course of their journey), she could guess as to what the purple-haired girl was saying. Nabiki had always prided herself on judging a person's character, and from what she had seen so far, this Shampoo girl had some romantic interest toward her boyfriend. An emotion that she never experienced before began to stir within her... jealousy.

Jon quickly defused the situation and explained. ["This is Nabiki Tendo and she is my guest... and student. I have just begun her training in the martial arts. She is traveling with us to gain some experience. She is merely my son's sparring partner and schoolmate. That's all."]

Shampoo smiled as she believed that Nabiki was Matthew's training associate and not his lover. Though she thought it odd for Jon to be teaching anyone other than his son in the Talbain Wolf-Style, which was created primarily to be used by werewolves. She put that thought aside as she began to lead the Talbains, Nabiki and her group back to the Amazon village.

* * *

A while later, in Cologne's house...

"And that's where we stand now." Cologne stated after explaining the situation of Hsien Ko and Mei Lin to Jon.

"I see." Jon nodded as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a set of nunchakus, stowing the weapons behind his back and into a simple holster on his pants' waistband. "Well, I can see why you are having so much trouble. From what you've described, apparently Mei Lin protects her sister from spells and spirit wards, while Hsien Ko attacks her opponents. I'd say that the best way to deal with them is to attack them while they're separated. If we can keep Mei Lin from transforming into that enchanted parchment and attaching to her sister, then we should be able to bring them down."

"That's what the Council believes as well. However, even if we were to somehow separate the two, physical attacks will not work on Kuang Shi."

"Don't worry." Jon assured her. "I have a few tricks that should be able to help. But I do wonder why those two are haunting the quarry in the first place."

"We are not certain ourselves." The older woman said. "Most of the records to their family line have been lost for centuries. Even the nature of their deaths is somewhat vague."

"We may be able to find out once we defeat them and put their souls to rest for good. For now, we must prepare for the next encounter. I have to begin training my son in some new techniques. This will be his first battle with ghosts."

At that point, the Amazon Matriarch changed the subject. "Speaking of training, I was most surprised when Shampoo told me that you had taken a disciple. I was under the impression that the Talbain Wolf-style was only taught from father to son, due to your family's lycanthrope heritage."

"Nabiki Tendo is now just learning the fundamentals of kung fu and kempo." Jon replied. "It can be taught to anyone who wishes to learn. My son and I are already trained in those disciplines. My new student shows much potential."

"Yes, I sensed that as well. However, I can't help but suspect that it is because of some other reason that you are now instructing her along with your heir." Cologne said. One could tell by her tone that she was already suspicious. "Tell me, does she know about your family's secret?"

Matthew's father sighed as he nodded. "Yes, she does."

"And is she...?"

"It's time for me to check on my son and other pupil." Talbain turned around and left her hut without another word. As he exited, he knew that he could not keep deceiving Cologne for much longer. Even if Nabiki were to able to keep her ycanthrope appearance out of sight, her very aura was like a bonfire of ki and mystical energies. It wouldn't take long for Cologne or the other Elders to figure out that Soun's daughter had been bitten and now possessed a portion of Matthew's werewolf abilities. It would be best to finish the business with the Kuang Shi as soon as possible and leave. Afterwards, he could seek out the help of another old friend, who was well-versed in the ways of magic.

Perhaps his former college buddy, Dr. Theodore Diggers could downgrade Nabiki's lycanthropy to tertiary levels so that she would transform only during the nights of the full moon. Secondary Lycanthropy, once infected, was impossible to remove completely, but it could be reduced. He had heard that Diggers had removed part of his werecheetah daughter's lycanthropy so that she wouldn't spread it through biting. She had later gotten it back during the birth of her first child.

He tabled those thoughts for later as he walked through the Amazon village. As always, his presence drew the attention of all who saw him. There was no one in the Joketsuzoku who did not know of the Talbain werewolves. They were revered as great allies and prime breeding stock. Even if the Amazons were not guaranteed natural-born female werewolves, the mystic blood would be intermingled into their gene pool and make them all the more stronger. Even Jon had admitted that the women born in his family had exhibited enhanced physical abilities and senses, despite not becoming full werewolves. As a result, he and his son were frequently pursued by just about every eligible Amazon female in the village.

And the fact that both father and child were very fine-looking and powerful warriors also helped.

One of the more bolder Amazons,(relatively speaking), decided to make her move and walked up to Matthew's father. He recognized her as Silk, the village's head seamstress and who was also very handy with a spear. She had long brown hair, a very slender figure, and lively brown eyes. Currently, she was wearing a red silk dress, and her hair was done up in a simple ponytail, tied with a red ribbon.

Normally, she was a quiet individual who spent most of time repairing garments and making new clothes. However, whenever Jon Talbain and his son visited, she had tried without success to seduce Matthew's father and make him her husband. There was no other man who could compare with the handsome foreigner. At twenty-five, Silk was still considered one of the most beautiful maidens in the village. She has had many suitors who had tried to win her, but she had refused them all, hoping to ensnare the lycanthrope. Unfortunately, due to the pact, she could not catch him with the Outsider Marriage Law, so she had to compete with all the other women, in a ritual that was mostly unfamiliar to them.

How to win a man without challenging him, or knocking him out and dragging him home. In other words... courtship.

["Good afternoon, Jon Talbain."] Silk smiled prettily as she began walking with him. ["It has been some time since you were last here."]

["Ah... hello Silk. How are you and your family?"] Jon asked as neared the place where his son and Nabiki were supposed to be training.

["Doing well, though my parents are still grousing that I have yet to give them some grandchildren."]

Jon swallowed nervously as he gave her a smile. She had all the tact of a nuclear missile. Then again, the Amazons were not known for their subtlety. ["I'm sure that you'll find that special someone. You'll make a good wife someday."]

["Yes. And perhaps that special someone might be closer than one might think."] Silk said with a sly tone.

This was immediately noted by the elder Talbain. He quickly changed the subject by pointing toward an area that was currently being used by his son and Nabiki Tendo. This was near the Challenge Log, where the annual Championship Tournament took place. A massive timber was suspended between two posts. They were simultaneously going through the basic forms. Both were dressed in their training gi, though Matthew was currently bare-chested.

However, they were not alone. From behind various building corners, trees and bushes, several dozen teenage Amazon girls were hungrily watching the well-muscled lycanthrope adolescent. And the one who was gazing upon him with the most intensity, was Shampoo.

Jon developed a large sweatdrop as he saw that his son was like a pork chop in the middle of a school of piranha. He hoped that things wouldn't get out of hand as he waved to his son and Soun's daughter.

Both acknowledged him and stopped in their katas. Jon then motioned for Nabiki to step aside as he faced off against his child. Matthew nodded as he prepared for his daily bout with his father. Both assumed a stance with their auras lighting up in blue-white brilliance.

The Amazons began to talk excitedly among themselves and crowded around the area. It was a rare occurrence to see the Talbains during their sparring sessions. Naturally the majority of the crowds consisted of females, though there were a considerable amount of men present, which included Shampoo's unwanted suitor, Mousse.

The near-sighted Hidden Weapons fighter growled slightly as he watched the one who had his beloved's attention. By this time, he had finally gotten his hearing back since his disastrous encounter with the original users of his fighting style. As he watched the lycanthropes trade blows with each other, his mood darkened.

His obsession with Shampoo was no secret and he had often ridiculed himself in his attempts to win her heart. However, with the purple-tressed girl's affections being aimed at Jon's son, Mousse had thought that by defeating the Kuang-Shi would make him a hero in her eyes and thereby forget that beast boy. However since his humiliation with the two ghost sisters, everyone in the village, including his darling Shampoo, were convinced that only the supernatural fighters of the Talbains could overcome them.

With one final gaze at his Shampoo, who happened to be watching Matthew with a lovesick expression, he let off a snort of disgust and departed.

One way or another, he would show Shampoo that he was the one for her and not some inhuman freak!

* * *

Matthew dodged a series of fast punches from his father then countered with a flurry of his own. Jon blocked each of the strikes, then charged forward with a howl. He was immediately surrounded by a corona of light as he slammed into his offspring. The Beast Cannon move was extremely effective at near point-blank range and Matthew was unable to counter in time. Jon continued to press the attack, bouncing his son about like a pinball.

However, Matthew wasn't by far a quitter as he flipped backward, and used a midair spin kick, energizing his foot with ki and supernatural power.

"SPIN RAZOR!"

This knocked his father out of his Beast Cannon move, but he instantly recovered and rebounded off one of the pillars of the Challenge Log. His right leg came up with his foot glowing.

"CLIMB RAZOR!"

Unable to stop his downward motion in time, Matthew held up his hands to block and winced as he felt the sting of his father's attack hit.

The two landed on their feet, and charged at each other again, this time drawing out their nunchakus. Both began swinging their chained clubs at insane speeds, making thousands of strikes in under a few seconds. However, neither could penetrate the other's defense.

The Amazons watched in awe at their speed technique which made the infamous Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire method seem slow and clumsy. The air snapped with the sounds of their weapons' impacts, like a volley of machine gunfire. Then the pair upped the ante by simultaneously transforming into their hybrid forms.

The intensity of the battle increased exponentially as each combatant began fighting at near-full strength. Then the match came to a climax as both leapt away from each and held up their nunchakus and let loose with a shout.

"DRAGON CANNON!"

While Matthew's attack resembled seven fiery wolves in a stream that resembled the breath of a dragon, Jon's was one huge blast with the front shaped like a wolf's head. Both streams collided mightily and made the evening light up as bright as day. However, Jon's attack blasted through Matthew's and the younger werewolf fell victim to the backlash, causing him to stagger backward. In that instant, Jon's charged forward with the Beast Cannon and added his own power to the stream.

The result caused another massive blast when he collided with his son. This caused the crowds to back off. When the dust settled, Matthew was found lying on his back with his father standing over him in victory. He smiled up at his sire and acknowledged his defeat.

At that point, several of the girls, including Shampoo, ran towards him, but immediately stopped as Nabiki got to him first and helped him to his feet. The middle Tendo daughter then felt a bit of a chill as she could feel the stares she was getting from the others, especially from Cologne's great-granddaughter. In addition to enhanced physical abilities, she also had a kind of animalistic instinct, which could detect the emotions of others directed toward her.

Nabiki knew that she would have to be very careful.

* * *

Later

As night fell on the Amazon Village, Cologne had decided to check on her guests. Currently, the Talbains and Nabiki were staying in one of the guest huts. As she came near one of the side windows, she noticed a glint of gold. Her curiosity piqued, she approached the building, using all of her stealth techniques and peered through the window.

She saw Nabiki Tendo getting ready for bed as she was dressed in modest pajamas. She thought it was a bit odd since the sleepwear seemed to be overly big. The girl was almost swimming in them. Her gaze was then drawn to what was hanging around her neck. She immediately recognized the wolf-head pendant.

-_Hmmm why would she wear that? Unless_-

Cologne's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Ever since she had learned that Jon had begun teaching another disciple, she had wondered if the Tendo girl was hiding something. Her great-granddaughter had watched Nabiki practice and had commented to her relative that the outsider moved quite well for a novice. Furthermore, the ancient Elder had wondered why the short-haired girl was radiating a good amount of spiritual energy, which was not to be expected of someone who was just starting out in the martial arts.

Cologne immediately stopped in her train of thought as Nabiki suddenly turned toward her window. The old woman just barely managed to get out of sight.

Nabiki leaned out her window and looked about. Her new night vision scanned the surrounding area while her sensitive nostrils flared a bit. She had thought she had detected someone spying on her. After a long while, she shrugged her shoulders and went back inside, this time closing the curtain behind her.

On the roof, Cologne let off a small sigh of relief, then became deep in thought.

Nabiki had actually detected her! Only the Talbains were able to do that. She had seen the girl look about in the dark without any squinting and she had sniffed about. Cologne was glad that the roof had some new tar on it, which had masked her scent.

If what she suspected was true about Soun's daughter

* * *

The next morning

Nabiki yawned as she rose from her bed. The morning sun's light filtered through her bedroom window from around the edges of the curtain. She stretched out her arms above her head and looked down at herself. She nodded as she saw herself in her hybrid form, with the oversized pajamas now tightly stretched on her enlarged and muscular body. As she had expected, the pendant's magic had faded during the night, and she was glad to have worn larger sleepwear, just in case. She then reached over to her nightstand, picked up the spare pendant and took off the one she was wearing. She put on the new one and waited.

The wolf's head necklace worked its magic and caused her body to shrink back down to its human appearance. When she had returned to normal, she then began to get ready for the day. Shampoo had offered to show her around the village and the countryside, while Matthew and his father were going to the quarry to get more information on the ghosts that were haunting the area.

* * *

"Nihao, Tendo-san!" Shampoo greeted as she approached the front door of the guest hut. She was currently wearing a more conservative outfit of light, lavender pants, sandals and matching blouse.

Nabiki waved back to her as she was dressed in dark slacks, blue, short-sleeved, collared shirt and a pair of running shoes. On her neck, underneath the shirt, was her pendant, with the spare tucked in her back pocket. "Good morning, Shampoo."

"We have big day today! Shampoo will show you Amazon village and forest. You have good time, yes?"

Akane's sister nodded as she followed her guide. Though Shampoo's accent needed work, she spoke Japanese reasonably well, and Nabiki assumed that she had learned from Matthew and Jon. And the warrior-maiden's Japanese was certainly better than Nabiki's grasp of Cantonese and Mandarin. As she discreetly gave Shampoo a once-over, she noted that the Amazon teen was quite well-developed. The girls at school would have killed to have a figure like hers at age 16, especially in the hips and bosom. Shampoo was at least a C-cup and her clothes seemed to mold onto her like a second skin.

At the same time Nabiki was assessing Shampoo, the purple-haired female was assessing the outsider girl. Overall, Nabiki was moderately built with some curves. However, what really made her take notice was the way she moved. Since she was from the city, Shampoo had assumed Nabiki to be more noisy in her footsteps.

However as they walked, the short-haired girl was actually moving with very light steps, and a quiet shuffle. She remembered back to the previous night when she and the other girls in the village were watching her practice with Matthew, and though she had been informed that Soun's daughter was only starting in her training, Shampoo had seen her move in time with her intended with few mistakes, and almost no effort. She was either naturally gifted in the martial arts, or she was actually dedicated and practiced constantly.

However, Shampoo tended to dismiss the second theory as she saw no signs of prolonged training on Nabiki. There were no telltale marks or calluses on her hands or any other part of her body, as far as she could see. Furthermore, Nabiki did not carry herself as someone who had decided on focusing on the martial arts. Rather, it felt as though she was somewhat forced into it, or that she had no choice.

Shampoo tabled those thoughts for later as she led Nabiki toward the center of the village to begin the tour.

* * *

Meanwhile

Matthew and Jon came to the entrance to the quarry, which was about 3 kilometers west of the village. As soon as the entered, both lycanthropes felt their mystical senses tingle as they looked about.

"You feel that, Son?"

The younger werewolf nodded. "Yeah. I'm starting to get a bit of a chill down my spine."

"That's how you can estimate the power of ghosts and such. These Kuang Shi are considerably strong. They're drawing power from all surrounding sources of magic. Since this area is so close to Jusenkyo, I'm not at all surprised that they were able to withstand those Spirit Wards and spells that the Amazons used against them."

"So how are we going to fight them, Dad?"

"Just remember Son, as werewolves, we also have supernatural characteristics. We _CAN_ hurt them. First of all, I'd like to know just why Hsien Ko and Mei Lin are haunting this area in the first place. Let's check out the place where they were first sighted."

* * *

Back at the village

"This blacksmith, Slag."

Shampoo gestured to the forge, in which the large and burly man worked. Slag towered over the two girls at an impressive height of six-foot-nine inches. His form was massive with rippling muscled arms and a wide chest. The flames climbed upwards as he worked the bellows to increase the heat of the coals.

As the Tendo girl leaned forward for a better look, her nose wrinkled was she smelled the soot, the fumes, and the telltale scent of a certain metal. A slight tingle went down her spine as she immediately recognized it. In addition to smelting and shaping iron, Slag was adept at creating metal alloys. This particular sword that was he was making was a combination of iron, carbon and silver.

Early on, Nabiki had discovered that she had the same vulnerability to silver as the Talbains. In a jewelry store in Beijing, she had handled a silver ring for too long and received a mild burn on her right index finger and thumb. The pendant she wore only afforded her short protection against the metal, and it took her a day and a half to heal from the contact.

She nodded to the Amazon as she followed her to the next sight, breathing out a slight sigh of relief as she left the metalworker's place of livelihood.

This was not lost on Shampoo as she had observed Soun's daughter with interest and suspicion. She had taken note of how Nabiki reacted when she saw Slag pouring out some silver from his crucible. She began to wonder about her and made a note to keep a close eye on her.

* * *

At the quarry, the Talbains approached the spot where the Kuang Shi had first been spotted. Naturally, the area was thick with leftover magical energies and it was easy for them to discern where the ancient spirits had been sealed.

Jon kneeled down and picked up what appeared to be a half-circle of metal with some Chinese inscriptions on it. The place was near a small cave opening that was just recently opened. Judging from the age of the metal fragment plus the amount of residual magic emanating from it, (not to mention the seal inscriptions on its surface), there was no doubt that they had found the place where Hsien Ko and Mei Lin had been sealed.

* * *

Back to the Amazon Village

"This Challenge Log." Shampoo said as she showed Nabiki the place where the Annual Tournament was held.

The short-haired girl let off a low whistle as she estimated the weight of the huge timber that was suspended some 15 feet off the ground. It would have to weigh at least 15 to 20 tons. Though her strength had increased since Matthew bit her, she doubted that she would be able to lift the log. Heck, she would think that the Talbains would have trouble lifting it.

"So this is only used once a year?" She asked.

Cologne's great-granddaughter shook her head. "No. Is used for other challenges. If Amazons have argument, they settle here. No killing and no sharp weapons. Win if knock down or give up. Most times, win by hitting off log. Is also good for practice."

"Okay."

Then Shampoo asked, "You want to practice with Shampoo?"

To be continued

Author's Notes

Well, that takes care of chapter 7 as this part of Beast Within is done. In chapter 8 we're going to have the first confrontation between the werewolves and the ghosts. As for the outcome between Nabiki and Shampoo, you're going to have to wait and see.

(1) Shei shei means thank you in Chinese.

(2) Well, you had to have expected this phrase sooner or later. 


	9. Chapter 8: Origins

**The Beast Within**

Disclaimer: Ranma , Darkstalkers, Hellsing and any other series I decide to use in this story all belong to their own creators. I think that covers everything.

- -: Thoughts

[ ]: Mandarin

{ }: English

**Chapter 8**

**Origins**

"I really don't think this is a good idea." Nabiki said as she stood facing the purple-haired Amazon on the Challenge Log.

"Is okay." Shampoo assured her as she got into a fighting stance. "Is no serious challenge. Is only practice."

Nabiki's eyes narrowed as she assessed her opponent. Though she had only begun basic training in Kung Fu and the Talbain Wolf Fist, she had some experience in gauging overall strength and skills in a person, in terms of martial arts. She had watched her father train, (when he had still been teaching and had not become the whining baby he was now), and had seen Akane during her beat-the Horde of Hentai every morning. Though she hated to admit it, Akane was the martial artist in the family, though Matthew assured Nabiki that she would soon surpass her. However, that would take time, and she was now facing off against an opponent who could probably kick her posterior fifty times over, werewolf abilities or not.

Nabiki took a deep breath as she saw the determination in Shampoo's eyes. There was no swaying her, so the Tendo girl got into a stance and hoped she would put up a decent showing.

Shampoo nodded as she started out with a few simple punches, followed by a quick leg strike toward her opponent's midsection. She was a bit surprised when Nabiki blocked the attacks and countered with a few rough punches. The Amazon noted as she dodged, that the Japanese girl was moving with focused, though somewhat unsteady motions, indicating that she had little experience in fighting against real people. That made sense considering that she was supposed to be a beginner. However, as she began to pick up speed and throw more complex combinations, she became more intrigued as Nabiki continued to keep pace with her.

For Akane's sister, it was taking a good deal of her concentration to keep herself from getting tagged by the Amazon. However, as they continued to trade blows, she started to notice that her reaction time was much faster than she remembered and that the blows that she was blocking didn't seem to be very painful. In fact, she was barely feeling them. She was also anticipating Shampoo's attacks almost instinctively now. As the pace started to increase, she began to wonder if her new werewolf abilities were allowing her to sense what was being thrown at her.

As the session continued, Shampoo became amazed at how well the Tendo girl was countering her attacks and how easily she moved on the Challenge Log. With so little space to maneuver, most novices would have fallen off at this point. And she could sense that Nabiki was holding back. Whenever Shampoo blocked a punch or kick, the Amazon could feel the raw power coming from the blows and they were substantial. She began putting more effort in blocking them, or evading them when she could. That became even harder as Nabiki's speed also increased. At this point, Shampoo wondered what was going on. A novice could not improve so much during the course of one sparring match. Before either of them knew it, Shampoo began moving at near top speed and hitting with enough force to seriously hurt a normal person. And still Nabiki managed to fend off her attacks and throw back a few of her own.

Finally, her Amazon pride came to the fore and demanded that she win this match. She let off a shrill war cry as her arms became a blur.

"_**KATCHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!**_"

Nabiki was taken completely by surprise as Shampoo launched the Chestnuts Roasting Over an Open Fire technique. In an instant, the warrior teen was firing off punches like a machine gun and all Kasumi's sister could do was retreat and block the blows with her arms. As she was forced backward, her left foot slipped off the edge of the log and she went tumbling down. She landed hard on her backside with a thump and winced slightly at the impact.

Shampoo immediately came to her side as she realized that she had gone too far. She knelt down beside her sparring partner while apologizing profusely.

"Aiyah! So sorry! Shampoo not mean to do that! Is okay?"

"It's okay. I'm fine, really! I just got the wind knocked out of me, that's all." Nabiki waved her off as she got to her feet. Already the pain from the attack and falling off the log was fading as her werewolf healing abilities started working. She didn't want Shampoo to examine her too closely, or she would see

"Aiyah! Arm is cut!"

The middle Tendo daughter winced as she turned about to keep Shampoo from seeing the small cut on her arm. When she had fallen off the log, her right arm briefly brushed against the side of the timber. The rough bark was jagged in some areas and had managed to break her skin. However, the bleeding stopped immediately after she hit the ground and now the skin was closing itself up. The blood that had seeped out through the wound dried up and fell away in an instant.

Nabiki continued to turn away from Shampoo, who naturally followed her to see the injury.

"Why you no let Shampoo see?"

"No, it's okay! It's not cut!"

"Why you keep turning away?"

"I'm not!"

"Let Shampoo see!"

Nabiki continued to turn about for a few more moments until the cut was completely gone. Then the Amazon grabbed hold of Nabiki's right shoulder and spun her about. She looked down and her eyes widened in surprise as she saw not a bloody cut, but unbroken skin.

"Aiyah! Shampoo thought she saw cut!"

The short-haired girl shrugged and gave the Amazon a sheepish smile. "I told you that it wasn't anything."

Cologne's great-granddaughter was more than a little suspicious at this point. She was certain that she had seen blood, and the gash had been more than five inches long. However, as she gazed upon Nabiki's arm, she could see no trace of a cut nor blood. There was no way an injury like that could have healed up in just a few seconds. Unless

It was at that moment that Nabiki changed the subject.

"Hey, Shampoo. What was that attack you used? That was really cool!"

The purple-haired girl's thoughts were snapped back to the present as she responded with a bit of pride. "Is special Amazon move called Chestnuts Roasting on Open Fire. Not mean to use. Shampoo sorry, but surprised Nabiki is very good for beginner."

"Well, Matthew and his father say that I have a talent for it. Say, I've been wondering. How did the Talbains meet up with your people anyway?"

Shampoo nodded as she started to lead Nabiki back to her house. As they walked, she started to explain the events which lead to the present alliance between the warrior women and the Talbain werewolves.

"It very long story. Great-grandmother say it happen over 600 year ago"

* * *

At the Amazon Quarry, two members of the family in question were at the entrance to the cave in which the Kuang Shi Hsien Ko and Mei Lin had been sealed away. At that point, the younger lycanthrope posed a question to his father.

"Dad?"

Jon Talban looked over his shoulder to his offspring. "Yes?"

"I've been kind of wondering about these ghosts that been giving the Amazons trouble. From what they tell me, these spirits could have been Amazons too, especially if they fight in the same way as that dope Mousse does. I mean, isn't the Hidden Weapons Techniques one of the Joketsuzoku's fighting styles?"

The elder werewolf nodded as he turned to face his son. He gestured for him to sit down on a rock beside him as he replied to Matthew's inquiry. "That thought had occurred to me as well, when Cologne told me about them. Judging by the dates indicated on those inscriptions from that broken seal, those specters had been locked away for about six hundred years. That's a little after the time when Lo Shien started developing the ability to fold ki and hide weapons. At least that's what I remember from reading some of the Amazon's archives."

"Six hundred years ago? Isn't that about the time when Jacob Talbain met the Amazons?"

"That's right Matthew. Jacob Talbain, who happened to be your 20th great-grandfather, came across the Joketsuzoku around the year 1402. I've never really told you the entire story about how our family became involved with the Amazons, have I?" When his son shook his head, Jon smiled as he began to relate the tale. He kept his keen, supernatural senses on alert, in case the two ghosts were to make an appearance.

"It all began over six centuries ago when Jacob Talbain decided to make a pilgrimage to China in order to study Kung Fu at a Shaolin temple. However, due to a certain event, he never got to that temple"

* * *

Flashback to China, 1402 AD, somewhere near Mount Kensei

A young man in his mid-twenties was scratching his head with his right hand while staring at a map of the region in his left. He was currently standing on a ledge that overlooked a small valley. He was a tall fellow with short, dark brown hair that was tousled in stylish disarray. His body was lean, but finely muscled and he wore a functional ensemble of dark pants, hiking boots and short-sleeved shirt. On his back was a large traveling pack. He shook his head in disgust as he realized that he had lost his bearings. He sighed again as he reread the instructions on the map.

-_Damn! I can't believe it! I followed the directions exactly! That Shaolin temple should be around here somewhere! The map says to head a hundred kilometers north of the mountain's base and_- Jacob then winced as he realized that he had mistranslated the Chinese directions. -_Oh good grief! That guide's handwriting is terrible! I should have gone south, not north! I'm off by two hundred kilometers!_- He looked up at the sky and frowned as he noted that it was getting dark as the sun was close to the horizon.

It would be too late for him to go back the way he came, even though as a werewolf, he could navigate through the night without any difficulty. The real problem was that it was going to be a full moon, and he didn't want to go scaring any of the local villagers in the area in his lupine or hybrid form. Jacob let off a sigh of disgust as he began his trek back toward the forest near the foot of the mountain. He had passed by a clearing earlier and decided that was where he could set up camp.

In less than an hour, Jacob set up a small tent and had a campfire going. As he started to cook his dinner, he could already feel the power of the full moon flow through him as night began. As the silvery orb began to rise, Jon and Matthew's ancestor began transforming into his alternate form. His body increased in size and muscle-mass as it was covered in light-brown fur. His face elongated and took on a wolf-like appearance as his canines enlarged. His shirt burst apart and a tail sprouted out from the small of his back. Fortunately, his pants were loose enough to allow it to sway.

-_Note to self, take off shirt before transforming._-

Jacob sighed as his stood up. In his hybrid form, he was a formidable 6'10" and had enough power to uproot massive trees and shatter solid granite. After eating his dinner, and seeing that had nothing else to do, he decided to get in some training. Using his acute senses of smell and hearing, he scanned the area for any signs of people. Finding none, he sprang forward and raced through the throngs of trees. His agility allowed him to speed around the trees and dodge overhanging branches and bushes with unbelievable ease. A particularly thick branch came up in front of him, but he didn't even slow down as he flexed the claws of his left hand. With one quick slash, the branch fell away as it was made of parchment. In less than a minute, he was deep within the forest near the foot of the mountain.

At that point, he stopped in his night run as his sense of smell picked up an exotic aroma. He recognized it as a rare Chinese herbal extract. Like the first of the Talbain werewolves, Jacob was well-versed in chemistry and botany. His family line had kept detailed records of their founder's works, especially the Luna Thorn potion. He decided to investigate as he used the stealth that his werewolf heritage afforded and disappeared into the foliage. He made nary a sound as he crept up toward the source of the smell. It was then that he saw them

* * *

Back to the present at the Amazon Village

"So your people met up with Matthew's ancestor in the 15th century?" Nabiki asked as she walked beside Shampoo.

The purple-haired girl nodded. "That time, he meet with Shampoo's ancestor, Gel. She was on training trip with friends. Was deep in forest at time near mountain. Did not know that great warrior was nearby"

* * *

Flashback to the past

Gel nodded to her friends as they sat near the campfire. At eighteen, she was a striking beauty with a lithe figure, long green hair and lively brown eyes. Sitting opposite to her were her friends, Rinse and Lather. The girls were twins with only a difference of hair color. Rinse had brown hair while Lather's was dark red. The three of them were out in the wilderness as part of their survival training and to gather herbs. They were dressed in simple, but functional short-sleeved blouses and matching silk pants and sandals. Gel's outfit was colored a modest purple, while Rinse and Lather were blue and red respectively.

["It's been a good days work."] Gel commented. ["So how are you doing Rinse?"]

The girl in question shook her head as she continued to scratch her left arm. ["This itching is driving me crazy!"]

Her sister shook her head. ["I told you not to go into that hedge to pick up those mushrooms. That was poison ivy!"]

["I didn't see it until I reached into that bush! Either of you got any of that soothing salve?"]

Gel nodded as she reached into her camping pack. ["I've got some. This should keep you from scratching too much until we get back to the village. I'm pretty sure Splint the Healer can get you something to get rid of that awful rash. It's making your skin all red and gross!"]

Rinse gratefully took the small container and began smearing the white paste on her arm. She immediately let off a sigh of relief as the cream worked into her skin and the burning sensation subsided.

* * *

From his hiding spot, Jacob Talbain nodded as he took a whiff of the odor coming from the salve. His sensitive nose immediately disassembled the smell into its component chemicals and he immediately recognized several of the ingredients that made up the medication. He was impressed. The salve the girls were using could be the exact same recipe found in the Talbain Herbal and Chemical Archives. Then his nose picked up a different scent, and his sensitive ears heard the approach of something dangerous. He then withdrew from the campsite to deal with it.

* * *

Back at the campfire

["So Gel"] Rinse asked as she finished applying the lotion. ["Have you decided to accept Aftershave's proposal?"]

Gel shook her head. ["No. He's nice but I really don't see him as anything more than as a friend. He's not really that strong and I want more in a husband."]

["What more do you want in a husband?"] Lather asked. ["As long as he's not bad-looking, can keep house, is a decent fighter, and can give you children, then that should be enough."]

["If that was all that I wanted, then I would have married a long time ago."] Gel sighed as she gazed up at the moonlit sky. ["I want a husband that get me really well, you know."] She blushed slightly as she let her friends figure out the implied meaning.

The twins nodded in understanding, as Lather replied. ["If you want that kind of man, there's always the Outsider Law."]

["Good luck with that."] Rinse said with a bit of sarcasm in her voice. ["The last time an Amazon married a strong outsider was more than seventy-five years ago. The nearby villages don't have much and"]

_**ROOOOOOOOWWWWWWWLLLLLL! SNAP! RIP! CRASH! **_

All three girls immediately went into battle stances when they heard the sudden roar and the sounds of fierce combat. They started running toward the source of the commotion. Just as they reached the scene, a dark, shadowy being bounded upward and darted past them, disappearing into the foliage. The Amazons looked about and saw the carnage.

A large tiger lay on the ground, its body badly mauled and its head turned about at an odd angle, indicating that its neck had been snapped. Its side had several bloody gashes, and the surrounding area indicated that the predator had put up quite a bit of resistance before it was killed.

Now the question was, who or what had killed it?

* * *

The quarry near Jusenkyo, present time

"So Jacob Talbain killed the tiger that was about to attack the Amazons?"

Jon nodded to his son as he took out his nunchakus. "He sensed the approach of the big cat and it was about to pounce on them. Of course, this caused a bit of a stir when Gel told the Village Elders about the incident, and they went to investigate." The older lycanthrope then took out a small vial of green liquid and a writing instrument. He started inscribing some magical runes on the wooden halves and instructed his son to do the same on his weapons.

"So what happened then?" Matthew asked as he and his father began enchanting their tools for the coming battle against Hsien Ko and her sister.

* * *

Flashback to 15th century China

Elder Rouge nodded as she studied the carcass of the tiger. At ninety-four years of age, she was still a respectable 5'9" and hadn't begun shrinking in height as all Amazons did after living for more than a century. She had long, silver hair tied up in a loose ponytail, and wore the robes of a Matriarch. In one hand she had a cane made of gnarled wood. She gestured to the torn sides of the dead animal with a wizened finger as her great-granddaughter Gel looked on with interest.

["You see this, child? These gashes were done by claws, not a blade. However, the neck was snapped expertly and I would assume by something possessing great strength. Whatever killed this tiger was not a normal predator."]

["How do you know this, Great Grandmother?"] Gel asked.

["If it were just a regular animal, then it would have either begun eating the carcass or at least drag it away to consume it later. A true predator would not simply kill its prey and just leave it. And breaking the neck at such an angle is far too efficient for me. Look at the indentations near the neck. It looks as if the tiger's killer used a chokehold and applied enough force to break the neck. That's no simple task and that's not a natural way to kill for an animal."]

Gel nodded as she gazed upon the dead body.

Rouge then added, ["And I sense residual ki and something else. The power is focused and organized, yet still retains a feral quality. If I were to make a guess, I would say that this tiger had been killed by someone from the Musk Dynasty, or something else entirely."]

["The Musk Dynasty?"]

["Yes. As you know, our sworn enemies use the power of Jusenkyo in order to gain great physical strength and animal abilities. However, I do not think this was done by the Musk, since I sense nothing of Jusenkyo's magic here. There is some magic involved, but it is not from the cursed training grounds."]

["So what do you think did this?"]

["Not what, but rather _WHO_ did this."] Rouge corrected. ["I sense that this is the handiwork of someone with great skill and a power than one can scarcely imagine. I have a feeling that this will not be the last time we see something like this."]

* * *

A few days later

Gel and her friend Calamine were busy patrolling the outer west perimeter of the forest near the village. Due to the more frequent sightings of Musk Dynasty warriors in the area, the Amazons had sent out several scouting parties to keep track of them while preparing for any attacks. For Rouge's great-granddaughter, this would be her first face-to-face encounter with the legendary fighters of Jusenkyo.

Unknown to her, it would also be her first face-to-face encounter with a Talbain werewolf.

As the two adolescent female warriors silently moved through the woods, they kept their senses on alert for any signs of their enemies or anything out of the ordinary. However, they were unable to detect a most extraordinary individual who was a mere fifty feet away.

Jacob Talbain nodded as he quietly followed the pair from above by leaping from tree to tree. Though he was in human form, his abilities still far outstripped those of normal people. He moved with grace and unbelievable agility and managed leaps of thirty feet or better with almost no effort at all.

Ever since that encounter with the tiger, he had been noticing several bands of armed women appearing around the area. He had kept out of sight, while stealthily observing them to find out what or who they were searching for. He immediately recognized Gel from that first night, though he did not know who was with her. The new girl was about the same age with light reddish-brown hair, tied up in two buns. Like her companion, she wore a functional blouse with silk pants and sandals. She was armed with a pair of tonfa while Gel carried spear. And judging by the way they moved, Jacob could tell that they had some training in the martial arts. His interest was piqued as he continued to follow them. Then, as they reached the center of the forest, the Talbain werewolf stiffened as he sensed a very focused and dangerous amount of ki and some volatile supernatural energies nearby. He hid himself deeper within the foliage as he prepared for combat.

Hanging from a harness on his back were two plain black scabbards which held a pair of double-edged short broadswords.

* * *

The present

"Oh yes, I forgot to tell you something about our family's school of martial arts."

"What is it Dad? Matthew asked.

"Even though it is based on our werewolf heritage and makes use of our strength, speed, agility and our inner ki and supernatural energies, it also branched off into several styles of armed combat, not just the nunchakus that we use."

"So we're not just limited to these?" The younger werewolf held up the chained clubs.

Jon nodded. "That's right. We also engaged in using the staff, the tonfa, shurikens and stuff like that. One of our ancestors was even a ninja for a brief time."

"Really?"

"That's right. It's another family story that I'll tell you about someday. And of course, being from Europe, we were also familiar with using the sword and lance. In any case, Jacob Talbain was well versed in the unarmed methods that our school taught, but he was also quite good in using the two-sword techniques known as the Fang and Claw style."

* * *

Back in the past

Gel and her friend became tense as they felt as if they were being watched. However, they were still unable to discern as to where or who was observing them. They could feel a pair of not-quite human eyes trained on them, but whoever they belonged to was doing a top-notch job of keeping hidden. Gel couldn't tell whether it was from the Musk, or from someone else. Then she heard a twig snap and that was when all Hell broke loose.

Crashing out from the woods, three Musk Dynasty warriors appeared and charged the two Amazons. Two were huge, hulking individuals with armored breastplates and bracers, one with red hair, the other had brown. Both were armed with double-bladed axes and leering expressions on their faces. The third individual was slimmer and was armed with a longsword. He also wore the same expression on his face as he and his companions looked upon the two females.

Calamine and Gel both knew what thoughts were going on in their minds. Though the Musk normally mated with animals dunked in the Spring of Drowned Girl to gain their powers, they wouldn't hesitate to capture Amazons and rape them in order to continue their bloodlines. Once a captured Amazon gave birth to a Musk child, she would be killed immediately. The Outsider Marriage Laws did not apply to an Amazon who was defeated by a Musk warrior. The women would rather commit suicide, then become the mothers of the next generation of their enemies.

With a shrill war cry, both Amazons threw themselves into the battle, though their chances of surviving this day were nil. But they would go out fighting in combat. Other than dying of old age in bed surrounded by grandchildren, there was no better way for an Amazon to meet her end. Gel took on the two giants while Calamine took on the swordsman.

* * *

High up in the trees, Jacob nodded as he watched the two teens take on three opponents that had the numerical and strength advantage. He could also sense that they possessed some mystical characteristics that clearly gave them an edge over the female pair. Though they were fighting valiantly, they had no chance of defeating them. When he saw the green-haired girl fall backward after being shoved down by one of the giants, he decided that he couldn't let such a spirited beauty and her friend be captured or worse. He let off a feral growl and prepared to spring into action.

* * *

The red-haired giant smirked as his intended slave went down. He was going to enjoy breaking her as she would give him a child to carry on his family's bloodline. However, Gel was not going to give him a chance to take her virginity. With a desperate lunge, she brought her spear up and aimed directly for his crotch. The spearhead managed to pierce the armored skirt and plunged deep into his groin. The Musk warrior howled in pain and shock as his privates were skewered. He staggered backward, dropping his axe and clutching at his family jewels as he sank to his knees. His brother became enraged at seeing his sibling castrated, and decided that the Amazon girl was going to pay for what she had done. She would not live to even give birth to a Musk child as he raised his axe to cleave her in twain.

Gel closed her eyes and waited for the end as the axe came down.

_**CLANG! **_

Her eyes opened when she heard the sound of metal striking metal. However, when she looked up, she found herself looking at the solid back of a strange man with a lighter skin tone than hers and had a slim, but well-muscled frame. To her amazement, he was holding off the huge giant and his massive axe with just one arm and a short broadsword.

The Musk Dynasty warrior couldn't believe that this stranger was holding him off, despite the fact that he was exerting full strength on him. He and his brother had the brute force of the bear, due to Jusenkyo, but this interloper was pushing back almost casually with just one hand! He looked into Jacob Talbain's eyes and saw the lupine expression in their blue depths. Then, he began to feel fear as the werewolf let off a low growl.

With a quick movement, Jacob used a disarming technique to knock the axe out of the Musk warrior's hands, then reached out with his free left hand and grabbed hold of his opponent's right wrist and applied a crushing force.

The enemy of the Amazons let off a cry of pain as bone, cartilage, and tendons snapped under the pressure. Then he was yanked forward by the captured arm, only to receive a hard knee strike to the chin as the lycanthrope hopped up and brought his right leg up. Then Jacob let go of the wrist and followed up with one of the signature moves of the Talbain Wolf Fist style, at full force.

"_**CLIMB RAZOR!**_"

Gel had seen ki techniques being used in her village before, but the stranger's technique was something else entirely! The raw power that was focused in that attack was a combination of ki and some kind of energy she had never encountered before. She had just started learning about ki and how to utilize it, but this was something on a level far beyond even the most proficient of her tribe's fighters and some of the Elders!

The last thing the Musk warrior saw was Jacob's glowing foot as it came up. The force of the kick shattered his skull, killing him instantly.

With both giants out of action, the remaining Musk fighter saw that he couldn't stand against the newcomer and two Amazons. He immediately disengaged from Calamine and started to run while calling out. Jacob was not about to let him go and warn any others of his kind. With a speed that was practically inhuman, he caught up to the swordsman while drawing out the second blade from his back. He twirled them about for a moment before getting into a battle stance.

The Musk warrior knew he had no choice but to fight as he readied his own longsword. He didn't recognize his opponent's sword style but after seeing Talbain decimate one of the bear twins, he wasn't very confident he could beat him. There was just something about this stranger that made even the power of the Musk seem trifling. He was hoping he could hold out long enough for his comrades to arrive.

Talbain wasted no time as he attacked aggressively, slashing with his twin blades with precision and uncanny speed. The Musk warrior managed to deflect the first few maneuvers, but several quick swipes got through his defenses and cut into his arms. Then Jacob demonstrated the true power of the Fang and Claw sword-style as his right blade parried his opponent's, then slashed with the left. The fighter from the Musk Dynasty howled as his right hand was cut into. In the blink of an eye, Jacob reversed attacking with the left sword and then made a stabbing motion with his right. This was followed by a slicing move by the left which took the longsword out of his adversary's hands. Then the two swords were thrust simultaneously into the Musk warrior's chest.

The Musk warrior could only let off a pitiful gasp as he was skewered, then slumped forward dead. At that moment, Jacob heard a scream and whirled about with swords ready. He then saw Gel as she plunged her spear into the chest of the first giant she had fought and gelded. She had decided to finish off her opponent while she had the chance. Though he wouldn't have been able to have any children, Gel still considered him as a danger to her people and the Amazon Laws clearly stated that all Musk were to be killed.

At that point, he saw a glint of metal from some trees and saw it flashing toward her. He immediately ran toward her and brought his right sword up to deflect the incoming projectile. However, he was a fraction of a second too slow as the arrow glanced off the edge of his sword and grazed his shoulder. He let off a hiss as a blazing sensation ripped though his flesh. As the arrow streaked by, Jacob recognized the glint of silver. He felt the pain of the metal as it started to work its way into him. However, he pivoted about and threw the sword in his right hand toward the hidden archer. The blade flashed like lightning as it sped into the tree, and impacted hard against its target.

A scream was heard as a Musk Dynasty archer was pierced through his chest. The force of the blade was so great, that he was propelled out of the tree and sent flying backward twenty feet. However, as his lifeless body hit the ground, more Musk warriors appeared and began to surround the two Amazons and their lycanthrope rescuer.

The wolf was wounded and cornered. It was a very dangerous situation for the Musk Dynasty.

* * *

Back in the present.

"So what happened next?" Matthew asked with interest.

Jon shrugged as he replied. "Well, that's where it gets a bit fuzzy. Jacob Talbain's journals doesn't go into much detail about what happened. All he wrote down was that the fight became so intense that he fell into a kind of berserker rage and later fainted from his wounds and exhaustion. When he came to, he was in Elder Rouge's hut"

* * *

In the village of the Amazons, 15th century

["Good day to you stranger. Welcome back to the land of the living."]

Jacob Talbain shook his head as he sat up from the bed he was on. He looked about at his surroundings then looked down at himself. He was a bit surprised that he had been stripped down to his underwear and that several parts of his body had been expertly bandaged. He then looked toward the source of the voice and gazed upon the aged face of Gel's great-grandmother.

["Who you? Where here? How?"]

At this point Jacob's Mandarin was far from perfect, though Rouge did comprehend his questions. She gave him an assessing gaze and guessed at his origins. She then changed dialects and replied. {"I am Rouge. You are in my village and my great-granddaughter brought you here to be treated for your wounds."}

The lycanthrope brightened up as he recognized the language. {"You speak English?"}

Rouge nodded. {"Yes. I guessed by your skin tone, your clothes, and very bad accent that you are from the West. I learned how to speak and read English from some European missionaries. So would you mind telling me your name?"}

{"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Jacob Talbain. You can call me Jake if you like."}

{"Very well then, Jake it is."}

{"So where exactly is this village of yours?"}

{"This is the village of the Joketsuzoku and you are near what you would refer to as the Bayankala Mountain regions in the Quing Hai Province."}

{"Uhhh okay."} Jake took in the information, then asked, {"So what's the Joketsuzoku?"}

Rouge gave him another introspective expression before answering. {"Joketsuzoku is the name of our tribe of Chinese Amazons, or warrior women in your language."}

{"Really? I always thought that the Amazons were a myth. No offense mind you."}

{"None taken. I'm not surprised you don't know about us. We don't usually venture much outside the mountain range and we keep to ourselves. Though things have been getting harder for us since the Musk Dynasty have been increasing their attacks against us."}

{"Excuse me? Musk Dynasty? Who are they? Are they the ones I fought against?"}

{"Indeed. And according to what my great-granddaughter Gel told me, you had single-handedly DECIMATED an entire war party! But that's not the most amazing thing about you. What is most amazing are these."} She gestured with her cane at the bandages and used the wooden end to undo the knot that tied the one on his right arm. The strip of linen fell away, leaving totally healed skin.

Rouge continued. {"You had some serious gashes and bruises on your body when you were brought in yesterday. This wound alone was quite deep and was bleeding profusely. This morning I changed the bandage and found it to be little more than a minor scrape. Now I see that it is totally healed. The other injuries you had sustained were healing far too fast to be normal. I'll admit that the wound on your shoulder took a bit longer, but the fact is that you are now fully recuperated from what should have taken you days, if not weeks to recover from, leads me to believe that there is something about you that isn't natural. Furthermore, you defeated a Musk raiding party. A normal person would find it next to impossible in defeating one warrior, but you took on no less than thirty of their best fighters. According to what Gel told me, you fought with a strength and speed that was far beyond anything that martial arts could ever hope to attain. So tell me, Jacob Talbain just what exactly ARE you?"}

Jake laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

* * *

A little while later, after being given a set of clothes to wear, Rouge led Jacob on a tour of her home. He was dressed in a simple white sleeveless shirt, loose black kung fu pants and sandals. The young werewolf took in all the sights, sounds and smells of the rustic village. His enhanced senses were perked at the exotic scents and he was especially impressed with the number of people who possessed good ki control and a mastery in the martial arts. Several villagers were openly practicing katas in both unarmed and armed maneuvers. There were small groups practicing in strength-building exercises such as carrying heavy jugs of water and moving about with rocks tied to their limbs. Others were engaged in endurance and stamina training, as well as sparring sessions with practice wooden swords and spears. There was even an archery range where students practiced their marksmanship with the bow. The trainees ranged in age from 5 years, to late teens. One very important thing Jacob noted was that the majority of trainees were female.

As they walked by the throngs of trainees, the Talbain fighter began to attract the attention of several females, especially those who were sixteen and older. For many of them, this was the first time they had ever laid eyes on an outsider male. His lighter skin tone and lupine eyes made him seem exotic. Many of them took exceptional notice of his well-muscled frame and the way he walked with grace. They had all heard about the stranger who had come to Gel and Calamine's aid and who had defeated an entire Musk Dynasty war party. He had already garnered their interest when the incredible encounter had been related. Now that they were seeing him close up, they could almost believe that this single man had defeated thirty of their enemies. His presence seem to emit a kind of animalistic aura that was overpowering. And the fact that he was a very attractive-looking male helped.

At this point, Jacob considered his options. He had originally planned to visit a Shaolin temple in order to fine-tune his kung fu skills, but training with the Joketsuzoku would be just as good, perhaps even better. These people knew a lot about fighting and there could be some techniques that could be added to the Talbain Wolf Fist style. It was then that he saw a familiar green-haired girl approaching them.

["Ah! Hello great-granddaughter!"]

Gel nodded to her relative as her gaze fell on Jake. ["Good day to you, great-grandmother. I wanted to see how our guest is doing."] She gave him a slight once-over and asked. ["Do you think he should be up and about this soon?"]

["Not to worry, Gel. This fine warrior has remarkable powers of recuperation."] Rouge then addressed Jacob. {"Jake, this is my great-granddaughter Gel"} She then referred back to her. ["Gel, please speak English with him. His name is Jacob, but you may call him Jake. He's not very fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese."]

Gel nodded again as she addressed him. {"Hello. My name Gel. Thank you yesterday for help."}

{"Ah yes, you're quite welcome."} Jacob replied while giving her a friendly smile. He had to admit, Gel was quite the beauty close up. Unlike the Renaissance Era women in London, who covered themselves up in petticoats and long dresses, the Amazon's figure was well-accentuated by the short hem of the blue silk dress she was wearing, leaving her long legs bare. The top barely held her generous bosom in check. Today she was wearing her hair in a kind of topknot ponytail.

Rouge smiled at his awkwardness, then told her great-granddaughter to show their guest around and make him feel welcome. The green-haired girl blushed slightly, and nodded as she gestured for him to follow. As they walked together, several of the female villagers looked upon the two with a bit of the green-eyed monster in their expressions. Whenever there was an eligible man present, (and a very handsome foreigner to boot), he was considered fair game for all unattached females of marriageable age. The others considered Gel having an unfair advantage in being instructed by an Elder to show the newcomer about.

{"Where you come from?"} Gel asked as she and Jake began conversing as they walked together.

{"I'm from England."}

{"England? Gel not know that place. Is very far?"}

{"You could say that."}

{"How many days walk?"}

{"Uhhh well, it would quite a while for you to get there if you walked. About one to two years' worth if you didn't stop to eat or sleep."}

{"Aiyah! Is so far! How you get here?"}

{"Well, let's just say I know a few shortcuts and leave it at that."} Jacob couldn't even begin to explain how he was able to traverse the world in far shorter times than what was possible by horse or ships of that era.

* * *

The present

"So he used the pathways through the Makai Realm, right?" Matthew asked.

"That's right, son. As you know, there are some one-way dimensional portals between the worlds that open up at certain times. These allowed a person to travel great distances in a short amount of time. Unfortunately for me, there wasn't one available when I was courting your mother. I was forced to take a plane and well, you know what happened afterwards."

The younger lycanthrope nodded. "So what about the Musk Dynasty? I'm guessing they didn't take things sitting down, after having an entire war party destroyed by one man."

"That would be the understatement of the century. Word traveled fast, even in that remote area, and when news of the massacre reached the leader of the Musk he reacted."

* * *

Back to the past, Musk Dynasty kingdom

["All gone?! The entire war party is gone?!"]

["Yes my liege. We found nothing but the dead bodies, including those of Growl and Snarl, the Bear Twins. Growl's head was split open, while Snarl was found castrated with a spear in his chest. The others were mauled and torn apart as if some wild beast had attacked them. The spear had Joketsuzoku markings on it."]

["So those accursed Amazons were behind this, eh? They will PAY for this!"]

["Yes, my Lord. We did pick up the scent of Amazons. However"]

["What is it?"]

["My Lord we find it strange that we were only able to pick up the scent of TWO Amazons. Against a party of thirty Musk warriors, the likelihood that only a pair would be able to defeat them is almost impossible! However, we did detect something else. There was another. This person wasn't an Amazon, our trackers are certain of it. However, this stranger possessed a power that was supernatural in nature. It was somewhat similar to what we gained from Jusenkyo, but far more potent. We believe that he or she may be the one who annihilated our brethren."]

["So this stranger dares to kill warriors of the Musk Dynasty? Then he or she will suffer the same fate as the Joketsuzoku. Begin gathering our strongest warriors. We shall attack them in a few days time and I myself will BREAK this interloper in half!"]

["Yes, Lord Fire Wind."]

* * *

At the Amazon village, Gel led her rescuer to the forge, where the blacksmith was busy hammering away on a partially heated sword on top of an iron anvil. Gel gestured to the large man to get his attention. The large man nodded to her as he paused in his work and turned to her.

["Gel! Good morning."]

["Good morning to you, Edge. Are they ready?"]

The man nodded as he walked toward his work table and brought forth two items. Jacob immediately recognized them.

{"My swords!"}

Gel smiled as she explained. {"After I bring you to great-grandmother, I go back for your swords. Asked Edge to sharpen and clean for you."}

Edge nodded as he also knew English. {"These are very well made. They have good balance and are strong. I don't recognize the metal. It is harder than my finest tempered steel. I thought I could sharpen these for you, but they do not need it. All I could do was to polish and oil them for you. These swords can cut through stone! Where did you get such wondrous blades?"}

{"Uh well, you could say that I know a very good sword smith."}

{"I'd like to meet him."} Edge then handed him his twin blades, plus their harness and scabbards.

{"Well, I doubt you ever will. He's really hard to find."} Jacob commented as he checked the blades, then fitted the harness over his back.

In actuality, the swords had been forged in the Makai Realm, and were composed of the rare metal called Orichalcum. The metal, once forged and tempered, was virtually indestructible by normal means, and had an immunity to magic. This meant that Jacob could deflect magical attacks, slice through barriers, or even cancel out curses. Due to the rarity of the metal, it was unlikely that there were many such swords or weapons in existence. Legend has it that one such weapon found its way to the human world and became the famous sword known as Excalibur. Only a very small number of individuals knew of the secrets of how to shape and manipulate Orichalcum. Jacob's swords and many of the weapons used by the Talbains had been created by a tribe of flame gargoyles that had a contract with the family.

As the two continued their tour of the village, they conversed more about Talban's life.

{"What fighting style Jake use? Gel never see before."}

{"Oh, it's my family martial art. It's called the Talbain Wolf Fist. I also use the two sword techniques called the Fang and Claw."}

{"Is very powerful! You defeat Musk so easy! Must make wife very happy to have strong husband."}

{"I'm not married."}

{"Oh? Maybe not find right girl yet?"} Gel remarked with a mischievous smile.

When he saw the hungry look in her eyes, Jake became very uneasy. Gel was pretty but he wasn't looking for a wife at the moment. He wasn't certain if she could handle his lycanthrope heritage. It had been in his experience, that rural folk tended to be extremely jumpy when they encountered things of a supernatural nature. He also felt as if he was being watched by several other pairs of eyes.

At this point, several of the village's warrior maidens had decided to make their moves toward snaring the handsome foreigner before Gel got her hooks into him. One such girl, named Comb, was especially determined to take Jacob away from her. She was considered among the most beautiful and strongest of the Amazon women, with her glorious, long aqua hair, silver eyes and her bouncy figure. She was also Gel's staunchest rival. When she first laid eyes on Jake, she did consider him as a very handsome and strong fighter. Marrying him would bring great prestige and bloodlines to her family. And she'll be dammed if Gel got to him first!

Soon, battle lines would be drawn, with the Musk Dynasty and matters of the heart... with Jacob Talbain caught in the middle!

* * *

The next day

Jacob wiped his forehead as he continued to add straw and pitch. Wanting to feel useful while he stayed at the village, he had offered to help in repairing the hole in the roof of Perfume's hut. As he worked, several Amazon girls watched him with admiration and several naughty thoughts in their heads. He was currently shirtless, and they liked the way the sun gleamed off his hard-muscled torso. He had begun to develop a tan, but that only added to his handsome appearance.

Once he finished fixing the roof, he came down to the ground to take a breather and wipe himself with a towel. A girl with short, reddish-brown hair, came up to him with a small pitcher and a glass.

[You must be very thirsty, yes?"]

["I thirsty. Yes. Thank you"]

Jake took the offered drink and raised it to his lips. However, before he took a sip, his sensitive nose caught a whiff of something strange in the glass. He looked down and saw something at the bottom. It was almost too small for anyone to see it, but it made his innate animal danger senses go off. As he stared at the mysterious particle, he began to suspect that the girl had put something in the glass, and he had just caught it, as it was almost finished dissolving in the water. A moment later, it disappeared.

["Something wrong?"] The girl asked while putting on an innocent look.

Jake didn't know how to respond without sounding suspicious. He was a guest after all, and it wouldn't do to offend his hosts. Luckily, he didn't have to, as another girl approached him, this time carrying a tray of food.

["Talbain is not thirsty. He is hungry!"] This female had long, black hair and brown eyes. ["You haven't had lunch, yes?"]

["Eat not yet."] Jacob admitted, and his sensitive nose then caught the scent of something strange in the bowl of rice, vegetables and seasoned meat.

The two girls began to argue with one another, momentarily forgetting him. This played to the advantage of a third girl who came up behind him and took hold of his right arm. Before the werewolf could protest, Comb pulled him away from the bickering females and out of sight. He just managed to grab his shirt as he was dragged off. By the time the two stopped to ask him for his opinion, he was gone.

* * *

Some distance away

["Not good to leave no say. Not nice."] Jacob said as he walked alongside the aqua-haired girl. He now had his shirt on, though the garment did nothing to hide his well-muscled torso and arms. Comb found it very difficult to keep her eyes from roaming.

{"Is okay."} Comb replied in English. {"Salt and Pepper argue all time. You lucky that Comb take you away before you eat or drink."}

{"Lucky?"} The ancestor of Jon and Matthew cocked his head in thought. {"You mean there really WAS something in that bowl and glass? I wondered what those smells were."}

That particular statement caught Comb's interest. {"You smell?"}

Jake shrugged his shoulders. {"Let's just say I've got a really sensitive nose."}

{"Very good nose."} The Amazon agreed. {"Salt and Pepper very sneaky. Like to hide things in food and drink. Very good at use poison."}

{"Poison?! They were trying to poison me?!"}

Comb waved her hands, trying to defuse the situation. It wouldn't be good to scare off such a prime example of husband material. {"No! No! Salt and Pepper no kill Talbain! Is stupid! They just want to"}

At that point, a certain ancestor of Shampoo came onto the scene. Comb's eyes narrowed at her rival as Rouge's great-granddaughter waved to them as she approached. The aqua-haired girl smothered her animosity with a smile and waved back.

{"Jake! Looking all over for you!}

{"Really? Why?"}

{"Great-grandmother want to show you something. Come!"} Gel pulled at Jacob's right arm, while her rival Comb looked on with an irritated glare. She decided to go with them as she had no intention of giving up her aim to snare the handsome foreigner.

* * *

{"You wanted to see me?"} Jake asked as he and the girls stood behind Rouge's hut.

The Amazon Elder nodded as she gestured to a small campfire she had made. {"Yes. I wanted to thank you for saving my great-granddaughter and defeating our enemies. Therefore, I decided that since you are training in the martial arts, you could learn some of our Amazon Wu Shu techniques."}

{"What kind of techniques?"} He asked with interest.

Rouge gave the young man a knowing smile as she made a small bag of chestnuts appear, then tossed the contents into the fire. Just as the nuts started to crackle and split, the old woman reached out with her hands, which became faint blurs as she plucked each chestnut out of the fire. In less than a second, her hands were filled with roasted chestnuts, but the skin did not even have the slightest of burns.

The werewolf stared in amazement as the Elder causally munched on the nuts.

* * *

The present

"That was the Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire Technique, right?"

Jon nodded to his offspring. "That's right, Matthew. It took Jacob Talbain five days to master it, and just so you know, it formed the basis for our own speed techniques, such as the Million Flicker."

"So that's where we got it."

"Yes, and it proved to be very useful, especially when the Lord of the Musk came after our ancestor a week later"

* * *

Back to the 15th Century

Gel and Comb watched in awe as Jacob Talbain's swords flashed like lightning. Rouge's great-granddaughter had thought he was inhumanly fast before, but now he was reaching near-light speeds. The blades glowed with an eerie blue light as the lycanthrope martial artist demonstrated his regular training regimen in the Fang and Claw Sword Style.

Rouge walked up to the pair and joined them in watching Talbain train. She smiled as she observed his movements and commented on his fighting style.

["Most impressive. I don't recognize his style. Apparently his fighting techniques focus on powerful, but quick strikes. His defense is excellent and he possesses more than adequate control over his ki."]

["Ki?"] Comb asked.

["Yes. Look at those blade closely."] She pointed with a wizened index finger. ["That's not sunlight glinting off them. He's focusing his ki into the blades, which is causing those flashes. It's almost like a million flickers of light."]

Jacob stopped in his movements, as his sensitive hearing had caught Rouge's comment. He smiled as he took a neutral stance, then sheathed his swords. He walked up to the females and smiled.

["Million Flicker, eh? Not bad for name."]

The younger girls blushed slightly as Rouge switched to English. {"I am impressed that you mastered the Chestnut technique so quickly, and that you have now adapted it to your fighting style."}

{"I thank you for the lessons, Sensei."}

It was then that another Amazon came running up toward them.

["They're here! The Musk has come!"]

To be continued

Author's Notes

This chapter was started to get long, so I decided to stop here and work on the fight between Jacob and the Musk in the next installment. Afterwards, we'll get back to the present with Matthew and Jon against Hsien Ko. See you then. 


	10. Chapter 9: Dragon Vs Wolf

**The Beast Within**

Disclaimer: Ranma, Darkstalkers, Hellsings, and whoever and whatever else is mentioned in this story belong to others, so get off my back already.

- -: Thoughts

[ ]: Chinese language

{ }: English language

**Chapter 9**

**Dragon Vs Wolf**

Quing Hai Province, 15th century

The Chinese Amazon village was on high alert, as scouting parties returned with news that a large Musk Dynasty War Party was approaching their gates. This was unlike the usual skirmishes on their borders and the warriors prepared for the assault. All children and non-combatants were ushered into safe-houses, while every able-bodied woman and their male counterparts picked up their weapons and readied for battle.

Looking from one of the towers near the village fence, Jacob Talbain, Gel and Rouge surveyed the approaching fighting force. The lycanthrope estimated their number to be at least over three hundred warriors. He took special note of the center, which seemed to be protecting some kind of royal procession. Then he saw him.

The man was well over six feet in height with an impressive build. He was dressed in elaborate, white garments. He wore a long-sleeved tunic, matching white pants, and brown boots. He had a white, silk cape, embroidered with gold trim, attached to stylish epaulets. His long, black hair flowed over his back and was tied at the end with a decorative band. He was mounted on a black stallion, and was bracketed by several of his guards, both on horseback and on foot.

However, what really caught the werewolf's attention was the amount of ki and magical energy emanating from this man. Jacob Talbain had no doubt that this was their leader.

Lord Fire Wind, Dragon King of the Musk Dynasty.

* * *

As his entourage neared the Amazon Village, Fire Wind surveyed the warriors who were manning the gates and the towers. His dragon eyes gave him extraordinary visual acuity and allowed him to see even the smallest of details at great distances. He let of a snort of disdain at the warrior women.

The history between the Musk Dynasty and the Joketsuzoku had been long and bloody, as each side refused to submit to the other. For the ruler of the Musk, he considered women to be no more than containers to carry the seed of the bloodlines. He allowed his warriors to take as many females as they wished, since they never lived long after giving birth anyway. Only a few women were allowed to live to help raise the young. The females were expected to bow down to them, and these Amazons had the gall to challenge their superiority. And now, they had killed a large number of his subjects and they would pay. It was a matter of honor to put these women in their place. That was the ONLY reason why the King of the Musk would even venture from his lands. He was so certain of his victory, that he boldly led his forces to the front gates.

At that point, his dragon eyes locked with a pair of lupine eyes. For the first time in his life, Fire Wind found himself in a state of surprise, as he felt the raw power emanating from one person.

Jacob Talbain.

At that moment, he knew who had killed his men.

Standing beside his liege, was one of his mightiest warriors, who went by the name of Blood Claw, which described the hulking brute perfectly. He was a formidable eight feet tall, and acted like an irate grizzly bear. In fact, he was the elder sibling of the late Bear Twins, and he was none too happy to have learned that an outsider had killed his only relatives. Like his brothers, Blood Claw possessed the raw power and fury of an angered bear. He had heavy, bulky armor plate covering his arms, legs and torso. He has short black hair that was wild and untamed. His face seemed to be fixed in a permanent scowl. His dark eyes reflected the murderous intent in his soul. Of all the Musk Warriors, Blood Claw was by the most savage and merciless. He held the highest record of raping and slaying Amazons.

As the war party stopped some two hundred meters from the front gates of the Joketsuzoku, Blood Claw let off a growl as he addressed his king.

["Lord Fire Wind! Why do we not advance? Should we not just eradicate these Amazons and be done with it?"]

The Lord of the Musk gave his subordinate a harsh glare, silencing the brute, before replying. ["You will attack ONLY on my command and NOT BEFORE! We shall put these women in their place soon enough, but they are still needed by us to continue our bloodlines. However, I will see to it that our Musk brothers are avenged. The outsider that dared to kill our kind will suffer, and he shall be made an example to those wenches not to cross the Musk Dynasty. I can see him from here."]

["You _SEE_ him my Lord?"] Blood Claw exclaimed.

["Indeed. He is very hard to miss. He looks to be someone from the far West and he is standing in that watchtower over there."] Fire Wind pointed toward the tower on his left. ["I believe he was the one who split your brother Snarl's head and"]

That was all Blood Claw wanted to hear as he ran off to the side toward a large group of boulders. Letting off a war cry, he hefted a huge mass of rock and using an overhand throw, launched the 10-ton projectile toward the village.

Unfortunately for the Amazons, Blood Claw shared the same weaknesses as a real bear. Though he aimed for the tower Jacob was on, his eyesight was poor, and the trajectory of the boulder headed toward one of the safe-houses, which was full of innocent children.

Jacob jumped down from tower and ran at full speed toward the safe-house. He knew that he only had seconds before the young ones were crushed by the enraged Musk warrior's attack. Knowing that he couldn't catch the boulder in time, he opted to divert its path. Letting off a shrill howl, he shot upwards, surrounded by a corona of light. To the amazed eyes of the villagers, it seemed as if Talbain had become a living comet.

It was one of the signature moves of the Talbain Wolf-Fist Style The Beast Cannon!

The boulder was only a few meters away from crushing the safe-house, when it was suddenly struck by the technique and deflected away from the building. The rock landed hard on the ground and broke apart into smaller fragments. In a single heartbeat, a potential disaster had been averted.

However, that only triggered an even bigger disaster as the Amazons retaliated.

Near the front of the village, the defenders started launching their own attacks as huge catapults began to sling stones and flaming projectiles at the Musk Dynasty. This only enraged Fire Wind's troops as they went charging toward the gates. Though the Musk ruler tried to get his men back under control, it was already too late.

Jacob Talbain now found himself in the middle of a war.

As the warrior women began to mix it up with the Musk fighters, Matthew's ancestor whipped out both of his broadswords when three of the attackers leapt over the walls. Knowing that he had to defend the safe-house, he immediately put himself between the innocent children and those who would harm them.

The Musk fighters charged at the lycanthrope on three sides. The first swung an axe at his head, only to barely miss as Jacob leaned slightly backward to avoid the blade. The second lunged at him with a spear, which he twisted to the side to evade. The third swiped at his head with a sword, that Jacob avoided by ducking. Then the werewolf fought back, as his blades let loose with blinding flashes of deadly light.

The trio of Musk warriors screamed in horror and pain as their weapons and bodies were cut apart. The sword wielder stood in total shock as both arms fell off, leaving bloody stumps. He was mercifully put out of his misery as Talbain's right leg came up and smacked into his head. The man would be unconscious as he bled to death. His companions were granted even quicker ends as the axe user was instantly decapitated, and the one with the spear received a blade through the throat.

Though Jacob preferred to refrain from killing in battle, unless it was the absolute last resort, the Musk were not showing any mercy whatsoever. To prevent them from slaughtering innocent children, Matthew's ancestor knew that he had to put down his opponents permanently.

This scuffle did not go unnoticed by the ruler of the Musk as he watched the stranger cut down some of the best warriors of his tribe. Ever since he witnessed the raw power of the Beast Cannon, Lord Fire Wind began to suspect that the outsider had mystical ties, perhaps linking him to the magic of Jusenkyo. If so, then he might be a valuable asset to his people. Fire Wind was always on the lookout for new ways to strengthen the bloodlines and Jacob Talbain provided an opportunity

It was then that he noticed a hulking figure rushing toward Jacob.

* * *

Blood Claw roared as he charged toward the wolf fighter. His keen sense of smell had detected the lingering scent of his brothers' blood on him and he was going to make his siblings' killer pay with his life. He readied the clawed gauntlets on his hands as he intended to rip Jacob in half.

However, his target for his rage had no intention of getting torn apart. Immediately detecting his approach, Jacob pivoted on one foot and deflected the claws with the flat of his blades. With several quick swipes, he slashed through Blood Claw's pitiful defenses and inflicted a series of bloody gashes on the chest and arms. The clawed gauntlets were reduced to scrap metal fragments.

Blood Claw ignored the pain as he lunged forward with surprising speed and managed to ensnare his foe in a crushing bear hug, (pardon the pun). He hefted him up and began to exert a pressure that would have reduced granite boulders to powder. A normal man would have perished immediately.

The only problem for the hot-headed Musk warrior was that his hated enemy was FAR from normal. The lycanthrope's superhuman strength allowed him to withstand the bear fighter's attempt to squash him. Immediately dropping his swords, as his arms were pinned to his sides, Jacob reared back with his head, then slammed his forehead against Blood Claw's. The sudden blow was enough for the larger man to loosen his grip briefly. This was sufficient time for the wolf warrior to burst free.

Blood Claw was not going to let his chance at revenge slip away as he lunged toward Talbain again. At this point, Matthew and Jon's ancestor let him have it!

_**WHAM! WHOP! SMACK! CRUNCH! SNAP! **_

The strongest of Fire Wind's elite fighters was given a savage demonstration of the Talbain Wolf Fist as his body was pummeled with high-speed punches and kicks. Each blow's impact was equivalent to being hit by a speeding bus, while the movements of the strikes were simply too fast for the human eye to follow completely. Blood Claw's bones were considered to be comparable to steel girders, but even they crumbled before the fury and power of Matthew's family martial arts.

The large Musk warrior was then sent flying backward as Jacob delivered a mighty blow to the gut, nearly causing Blood Claw's kidneys and intestines to burst out of his back. The broken and bloodied form landed on the ground at the feet of his king.

Fire Wind considered the pitiful, quivering mass before him, then raised a hand upward. His fingers glowed with a soft, crimson light, which let loose with a ball of energy toward the sky. This signal was immediately noticed by all of the Musk members, who quickly disengaged from battling the Amazons, and reformed into ranks before their leader.

The Joketsuzoku became confused at the sudden stop to the hostilities, but kept their guards up as they formed up a defensive line opposite to that of their enemies. At that point, there were thankfully few casualties, as wounded and dead were hurriedly pulled toward their respective sides.

There was a long moment of silence as the two tribes faced off against one another. Not a word was spoken as everyone waited for the carnage and bloodshed to begin anew. It would only take the slightest provocation to start the conflict all over again.

However, everyone became surprised again as the lines of Musk warriors parted to allow Fire Wind to approach the front. In his right hand, he causally dragged the broken and bloodied Blood Claw as if he weighed next to nothing. When he got to the front of the line, he nonchalantly tossed the near-dead man out toward the front lines of the Amazons. He then pointed toward one person in particular.

Jacob tensed up as he was singled out. He took a quick glance at the crowds of warrior women, who held their weapons at the ready. His eyes found those belonging to Elder Rouge and her great-granddaughter Gel. The expressions on their faces were hard and determined and they silently let him know that they would back him up when the fighting started up again. He picked up his swords and began to make his way toward the front of the Amazon lines.

When the powerful fighters faced each other off in the space between the two forces, everyone held their breath in anticipation. Each locked their gazes upon the other and nothing was said for a very long time. Then Fire Wind decided to speak first

{I am Fire Wind Lord of the Musk Dynasty.}

Jacob was slightly surprised that his opponent spoke English, but tabled that thought as he replied. {"I am Jacob Talbain, Heir to the Talbain Wolf Fist.}

{"Wolf Fist? So that is the name of your fighting style? I must say, that it does indeed suit you. You are just as deadly as a wolf. Blood Claw was no match for you. Speaking of whom"}

Before anyone could even react, Fire Wind thrust out with his right hand and sent a blazing hot blast of ki energy at his former subordinate. The bear warrior screamed out in horror and anguish as he was instantly incinerated. His scream died away as his body was turned into ashes.

With a look of shock on his face, Jacob glared at the Musk ruler. His hands tightened their grip on his swords' hilts.

{"Why did you kill him!? He was your own man!"}

The leader of the Amazon's eternal enemy shrugged as he answered. {"He disobeyed me. That offense cannot be forgiven. I expect absolute obedience from my Elite Guard. Those who disobey are of no use to me."}

{"So that's it? You just kill them if they get out of line?"}

{"Indeed. However, for those who follow my commands, they are richly rewarded. And now I am extending that opportunity to you."}

{"What?"}

{"I have seen you in battle and I am most impressed. You are superior to these women and to many of my best fighters. It would be a waste to kill such potential. So I decided to give you a chance. Join my Elite Guard and I will even pardon you for all of the men you had killed, thus far. Refuse my generous offer, and I will not only destroy you, but I will execute every man, woman and child in this village. None will be spared. So what is your answer?"}

There was a long moment of silence between the two powerful beings. However, the reason behind the pause wasn't because Jacob was considering Fire Wind's offer. Rather it was due to reigning in his anger over the Musk ruler's arrogance. Finally he gave the Dragon Lord a snort of contempt and replied.

{"Do you have ANY idea how stupid that offer is?"}

{"What?"} Fire Wind said in a clearly insulted tone. No one had ever spoke to him in such a manner, and lived long afterward.

{"You expect me, to turn my back on people, who have shown me nothing but courtesy and warm hospitality, and join a group bent on destroying them? As I said before, that's a _REALLY STUPID_ offer."}

{"I would advise that you choose your words carefully, Jacob Talbain. You know not who you are dealing with!"} Fire Wind warned with a hiss.

{"Oh, I know EXACTLY whom I am dealing with. I happen to be dealing with an arrogant, self-absorbed bastard, who seems to think that his words are the law of the land. You threaten to kill everyone here, unless I join you? What's to stop you from carrying out that threat AFTER I agreed? I can see it in your eyes. So why don't we don't we just drop all pretenses and settle this matter with honor? Unless of course, the so-called great and powerful King of the Musk is nothing but an honor-less coward as I think he is?"}

{"You DARE to question my courage and honor?! Your life will be forfeit for that insult!"}

{"Fine. Then you will accept my challenge?"}

{"You wish to personally challenge ME?!"}

{"Damned right I do. This is all began when I helped out the Amazons and killed your men. You took it as an offense to your honor and used it as an EXCUSE to attack innocent villagers, including children! You have no right to punish them for something that I had done! Therefore, I demand the right to prove my convictions through trial by combat!"} Jacob pointed a finger directly at Fire Wind. {"Since, you were the one who ordered this attack, therefore you are the one that I challenge! Now do you accept my challenge, or will you hide behind your army?"}

Fire Wind growled as he knew that refusing Jacob's challenge in front of his men would be seen as cowardice. {"Very well. It is true that you are the main offender and therefore, I shall punish you with my power alone! Your death shall not only serve as a warning to those who cross me, but also to prove that that the Musk Dynasty is second-to-none!"} He then gestured to the Amazons. {"And we will deal with these people later. I shall give you some time to prepare before I pass final judgment upon you, Jacob Tabain. You have three weeks, until the sun sets at the end of this month! At that time, I shall send you to your ancestors!" }

{"Where?"} Jacob asked.

{"Jusenkyo."}

There was a collective gasp among the villagers as the Musk army turned about and headed back toward their territories. The werewolf fighter stood in deep contemplation as he was approached by Elder Rouge and her great-granddaughter.

{"That was a very noble thing you did for us, Jake."} The elderly woman remarked as she watched her people's eternal enemies depart. {"You made Lord Fire Wind and the Musk concentrate their vengeance upon you, in order to spare the innocents in our village."}

{"It was... the only thing I could think of."} The lycanthrope admitted. {"Fire Wind is powerful extremely powerful. I could sense it."}

{"Yes, and I'm afraid that you had signed your own death warrant when you challenged him. Not to be insulting, since I consider you to be a very strong fighter. However, Fire Wind and his kind draw their strength from Jusenkyo itself. And the time in which he chose to fight you, tips the odds further in his favor."}

{"What do you mean? What is Jusenkyo?"}

The Amazon matriarch took a deep breath and replied. {"Jusenkyo is a cursed training grounds where there are hundreds of springs, each with their own tragedy. Whenever an animal, or person drowns in a spring, whoever enters its waters next will take the form of the drowned individual. The Musk have taken advantage of this by forcing animals into the Spring of Drowned Woman and mating with them, thereby gaining the powers of those beasts and other creatures. Fire Wind will undoubtedly use the magic emanating from those springs to increase his own Jusenkyo abilities. And the time he chose will make him even stronger."}

{"How does that help him?"}

{"Is time of full moon."} Gel answered. {"Legends say that Jusenkyo's magic is strongest at that time."}

{"Really?"} Jacob said with a smirk. {"Then this WILL be a very interesting duel indeed."}

Both women were left in a state of puzzlement as Jacob walked off to help those who were injured in the battle, as well as tend to those who were beyond any mortal help. Then, after a few minutes, they too went to help their fallen comrades.

* * *

Back to present day China, the Amazon Quarry

"So great-grandfather to the 20th power challenged the king of the Musk Dynasty?" Matthew asked as he continued to listen to his father's retelling of their family history.

Jon Talbain nodded as he continued. "Even though Fire Wind was unaware that setting the time of the duel would also work in Jacob's favor, our ancestor decided to expand and improve on our fighting style and the weapons he used. He was a master of the Fang and Claw sword techniques, but then he got an idea"

* * *

Six hundred years ago, two days after the battle with the Musk

{"What _ARE_ you doing?"} Rouge asked as she came across Jacob practicing behind her house. He was currently dressed only in long, loose, silk pants. He was barefoot and bare-chested. Although she was in her nineties, the Amazon matriarch still appreciated a well-toned and physically fit male body. She suppressed the urge to let off an appreciative whistle at his magnificent physique.

Jacob nodded to her as he took a neutral stance. His brow had a thin sheen of sweat glistening in the sunlight. In his right hand was a strange-looking device.

{"Just limbering up and working on some new moves I've been developing."} He then held up the things in his hand. {"I also came across an idea with some possibilities."}

{"What is that?"} The old woman asked as she looked upon it. To her eyes, it was merely a pair of wooden rods, each about 10 inches in length Both rods were connected by a silken cord between them. {"Is that some kind of rice flail? That's a pretty small tool for threshing rice."}

{"Actually, I got the idea when I saw someone use a similar tool for crushing beans. I'm not quite sure what to call this, but I think it could give me an advantage in making quick strikes and for defense. So far, it seems to move pretty well with a lot of my circular motions. Watch!"}

Jacob immediately went into a kata, swinging the new weapon about in graceful, arcs and rapid flicking moves. Rouge immediately saw the advantage the clubs gave in both reach and striking power. However, she also saw that the new weapon was hard to control, and one had to be careful, otherwise...

_**BONK! **_

The werewolf fighter immediately stopped and rubbed the top of his head where the end of club had hit him by accident. Though it didn't really hurt since his werewolf abilities were already healing the bump, he still gave the Elder a sheepish laugh.

{"Ah heh, heh, heh. What can I say? It's still a work in progress."}

* * *

Present day

"Whoa! Hold on a minute! Are you saying that Jacob Talbain was the one who invented the nunchakus? I always thought that the weapon came from Okinawa during the 17th century."

Jon shrugged at his son's surprise. "Well, that's one of the theories. However, our records does list the usage of these weapons by our family line since that time period. Jacob's journals also indicate that his great-grandson Michael Talbain made a visit to Okinawa during the early 17th century. It could be, that the Okinawans were influenced by him." (1)

"So what happened at the duel?"

* * *

In the Amazon Village, Shampoo continued to tell her version of the story to Nabiki

"Musk Dynasty King was in for very big surprise when time of duel came around."

"I'll bet he was." The Japanese girl remarked as continued to listen.

"For three weeks, Talbain trained hard for fight. Finally, one day before the time of duel"

* * *

Flashback to the past

Jacob sighed as his sat on the roof of the guest hut and looked up at the evening sky. In addition to the multitudes of stars, the light of the near-full moon shone brightly upon him. He could already feel the power of the moon flowing through him, though it wasn't enough to trigger his transformation. The next night however, he would have the full might of his lycanthrope heritage at his disposal in his duel against the Musk Dynasty ruler.

But with the increase in strength, speed and healing abilities, there was also the fact that he would be forced to fight Fire Wind in his true form. There was just no way around it. And that bode the question of whether the Amazons would accept him, when they find out that he wasn't human. In a way, he was very similar to the warrior women's sworn enemies.

He hoped that they would not reject him. During the last month, he had gotten quite fond of the Joketsuzoku and their quaint village. Their marital arts techniques were most impressive and training alongside them had greatly expanded on his family's fighting style. What had initially been a wrong turn had actually become a boon. The villagers had become like an extended family and they liked having him around, especially from much of the unmarried, female populace. Although Jacob was bit uneasy at all the overtures they've made toward him. Coming from a more conservative society in England, he never knew women to be so enthusiastic.

Now, all the lives of the village depended on his victory against the Musk Dynasty's king and his tremendous power. There was the real possibility that his life could end the next night. Fire Wind, though arrogant, had the power to kill Jacob. In addition to the vast amounts of ki energy that he sensed in Fire Wind, Matthew's ancestor also detected certain magical aspects, which could also affect him.

Fire Wind would not back down, nor listen to any attempt at a peaceful solution. There would only be one way to settle things.

This would be a fight to the finish.

At that point, a certain someone leapt to the top of the hut. Long sensing her approach and recognizing her scent, Jacob turned to face her. He gave the visitor a nod invited her to sit with her.

Gel nodded as she mentally prepared herself. This would be her only chance.

As the two gazed upon the star-studded skies, the ancestor of Shampoo and Cologne started to converse with the lycanthrope warrior.

{"Jake is nervous about fight tomorrow?"}

Jacob gave the girl a slight nod. {"Only a fool fears nothing, and I'm not going to lie. Fire Wind is no pushover."}

{"Is good Jake know opponent."} Gel said with an encouraging tone. {"Is good warrior who not think he win all time. No be careless in battle. Is ancient Amazon wisdom."}

{"Good advice."}

{"Is also ancient Amazon saying "} The warrior teen blushed slightly. {" that good warrior who know this also make good husband."}

Jake stiffened at the not-so-subtle hint Gel had given. It wasn't the first time she and the other girls had tried to seduce him. Some of their attempts had been more daring than others, which included sneaking into the hot springs while he was bathing. More often than not, the werewolf had to keep his senses on alert as he washed up, lest an ambitious Amazon suddenly appear naked before him. Other incidents such as drugging him, sneaking into his hut while he slept and outright ambushing him were tried, without success, though Jacob took a LOT of dips into the icy stream near the village afterwards. He shuddered a bit at Comb's attempt, which included trying to chain him to the bed, while wearing nothing but that very provocative nightdress.

He had made certain not to hurt or outright defeat any of his would-be suitors. Jacob had come across a copy of the Book of Amazon Law in the guest hut. Though his mastery of Mandarin and Cantonese was far from perfect, he had been able to roughly translate certain chapters, especially those concerning outsiders. Though he admitted that many of the Amazons were strikingly beautiful, he wasn't looking for a wife, especially now that the fate of the village rested on the outcome of the duel.

Taking a deep breath, he addressed the green-haired girl with a gentle, but firm tone. {"Gel, don't take anything I say the wrong way. I think you are very pretty and you'd make any man lucky to have you as his wife. The thing is I don't think that I'm that man."}

Gel's expression turned from hopeful, to disappointment, then to slight panic, as she tried to convince him otherwise. "{"Why you say such thing? You strong. You good-looking. You brave. You saved Gel's life. You have good heart. What more Gel want in husband?"}

{"It's really complicated. Although, you may think, that I'm everything you want in a husband there a couple of REALLY BIG things about me that you may not want."} The lycanthrope twiddled his fingers a bit as he tried to think of a way to explain.

Rouges great-granddaughter shrugged her shoulders. {"Is no problem. No one perfect. What? You snore in bed? Gel no mind. You terrible cook? Gel can cook."} She paused for a moment, then said in a none too tactful way, {"Maybe you is (What you call in English?). is you virgin?"}

Jacob's face turned bright red at that suggestion and shook his head. {"No! It's nothing like that!"}

{"Then no problem! Gel's great-grandmother want to see great-great grandchildren soon and she like you too. Gel decide that Jacob would make very good husband? You no like Gel? You no want Gel as wife?"}

{"No! No! It's not that at all!"} Jake said quickly as he didn't want to offend her. {"Look I'm really flattered that you think I'd make you a good husband. And if it weren't for certain things.. I might have just taken you up on that offer. Besides, I'll probably be moving on after all of this is over. Maybe I'll head back to England for a while."}

{"Then Gel will go with you!"} She insisted.

{"Gel please! This is all coming too fast. And right now it's not a good time to talk about things like this. You understand?"}

Gel was silent for a moment, then nodded. {"Is okay. Gel understand. Is very important for Jake to win tomorrow. Can talk about it later... yes?"}

{"Yeah sure."}

There was another long pause before the girl decided to take the initiative and leaned forward. In a moment, the two briefly touched lips in a light kiss, before she stood up and jumped down from the roof. She quickly ran off, leaving the werewolf alone with his thoughts.

-_Though once you see me as I really am, you might not want to talk to me at all."_-

* * *

The next sunset, in Jusenkyo

Jacob Talbain walked toward the Training Grounds of Cursed Springs. He was dressed simply in a pair of loose, black pants, simple kung fu shoes and was bare-chested. He wore his short swords in their usual scabbards and harness on his back. Walking behind him was a small group of Amazons, who would bear witness to the duel. Among them was Gel and her great-grandmother Rouge. She would be the only Amazon Elder present.

As they approached the hidden valley, which was littered with over a hundred pools of water, the werewolf martial artist's senses already detected the high amounts of chaotic and wild mystical energies emanating from it. The landscape also had dozens of bamboo poles of differing lengths sticking out of each of the pools. The outer areas were lit by lines of lanterns, which would ensure that the spectators would be able to see the battle, even at night. He looked toward the horizon as the sun began to dip toward the ground and the skies darkened. It would only be a matter of time before the full moon would appear.

It was at that time that he caught sight of his opponent. Fire Wind stood proudly at the center of the Cursed Training Grounds. Though he stood by himself, he was far from alone. Watching from overhanging ledges and crevasses in the valley were at least a hundred Musk Dynasty warriors, each armed to the teeth and dressed in armor. However, they would not do battle this day. Like the Amazons, they would serve as witnesses to the impending conflict that was about to take place.

Giving the warrior women a friendly smile of assurance, Jake walked ahead of the group and toward his opponent. There was no turning back.

He came to the center of Jusenkyo and faced off against the king of the Musk. A mere twenty feet separated the two and one could feel the tension in air.

Finally, Fire Wind broke the silence.

{"So you came. At least, you are honorable enough to face your inevitable defeat and death. And it is a pity that a warrior such as yourself must perish by my hand. So I shall give you one last chance to consider my offer to join my Elite Guard."}

Jacob let off a snort of disdain. {"I'm not even going to dignify that offer with a response. I came here for one reason only. So let's get started. And when I win, you will leave the Amazons in peace... or in pieces! Agreed?"} With those words, he unsheathed his swords and held them out at the ready.

Fire Wind smirked as he made a five-foot long staff appear in his right hand. {"Impatient to meet your doom, aren't you? Very well then. If by some miracle you manage to kill me, then you have my word that we shall leave the Amazons alone... for a time. Perhaps I was foolish to think that you would even consider my generous offer. So you prefer the company of the Joketsuzoku, eh? After I am done with you, perhaps I will let you live long enough so you can watch me slaughter every one of them and burn their village to the ground. After today, their accursed existence shall cease, as will yours!"}

In an instant, Fire Wind attacked, letting loose with a massive blast of ki that resembled a huge gout of flame. Jacob deftly avoided the stream, which would have incinerated any other fighter into a pile of ashes. He could plainly see why his adversary was called the Dragon Ruler of the Musk Dynasty.

The lycanthrope immediately went on the attack and let loose with a fury of swipes and slashes with his swords. Each blade flashed with arcs of blue, deadly streaks of light.

"_MILLION FLICKER!_"

However, as fast as Jacob was, Fire Wind was just as agile. Each thrust, swing and slash was countered, as the Musk King matched his opponent's moves with his staff. After an incredible exchange, the two backed off.

{"Hmmm, I am slightly impressed."} The Musk Ruler said with a bored expression on his face. {"Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire, if I'm not mistaken. A very quaint Amazon technique, though I can see that you've adapted it to your sword-fighting style. Even so, it is nothing for me to be concerned about. No blade forged on Earth can withstand my staff, which has been tempered by my finest blacksmiths and"}

_**CLING! **_

He stopped in his gloating as he heard a piece of metal striking the rocky ground of the valley. His eyes widened as he noticed that one end of the staff had become five inches shorter. Looking down at the ground, he saw a small length of metal and realized that it was the missing piece. He then gazed upon his opponent and considered the swords.

-_Impossible! My staff was forged in the depths of mystic fire and yet he still cut through it?! Who IS this man?_-

* * *

["I can't believe it! He actually cut Fire Wind's staff!"] Rouge remarked with awe. As an Elder, she was familiar with the legends of the Musk Dynasty and their secret metal-smithing techniques, which was said to be able to forge weapons that were near-indestructible and heavily enchanted. Those belonging to their king were said to be the mightiest of them all .

* * *

Jake smiled a bit at his opponent's shock. In his hands, the Orichalcum blades glinted in the fading light of the setting sun. Due to the metal's properties, the mystic seals on Fire Wind's staff had been canceled out. The staff was no longer strengthened by magic and therefore could be damaged. For the moment, Talbain had the advantage.

Fire Wind increased the distance between them as he fired off a volley of ki blasts at his foe. Moving with incredible agility, the lycanthrope fighter either dodged or deflected the attacks with his weapons. In a heartbeat, he closed in on the Dragon Ruler and threw a trio of slashes, followed by a roundhouse kick. The Musk king blocked the swords, but was a hair too slow, receiving a hard impact to the gut by Jake's foot.

Making a flip backward, while clearing several pools, Fire Wind sneered at his opponent as he rose above the ground and hovered some fifty feet in the air.

{"I must admit, you are formidable... on the ground. But how will a wolf fare against a dragon in the sky?"}

Jake growled slightly as he leapt toward one of the nearest pole. Using it as a means to propel himself higher, he rocketed upward as his right foot glowed with an eerie light.

"_CLIMB RAZOR!_"

Fire Wind immediately recognized the danger if that attack connected and floated off to one side to avoid it. The energized kick sailed past his face, missing it by millimeters. While the foot was still extended, he grabbed the ankle with his right hand. Applying a crushing force that made even Jacob wince in pain, the Musk ruler began swinging him about like an Olympic athlete in the Hammer Throw event. After several rotations, the lycanthrope was hurled down toward the pools.

Knowing that he couldn't risk falling into one of the cursed springs, Jacob managed to angle his body toward one of the overhanging ledges of the valley. Thrusting out with one of his swords, he drove the blade deep into the rock. Using the weapon as a kind of brake, he swung about and rebounded off to the right. He was able to barely clear a large body of water, landing on dry land.

However, Fire Wind was not going to let his foe rest for even a moment as he came down in a diving attack. Jake raised his swords just in time to avoid a thrust from Fire Wind's staff. However, unlike the last time, the werewolf's enemy was now fighting more seriously. The Musk Dynasty fighter's weapon glowed with ki as he forced Talbain backward.

The pair began exchanging blows with increasing speed. At this point, the sun had disappeared beneath the horizon and the moon started to rise. The training grounds began to glow with a strange light as magical energies increased in waves. Those who had connections to Jusenkyo immediately felt the influx of power coursing through their bodies. The Musk warriors secretly readied themselves to follow their leader's orders to attack the Amazons once Jacob Talbain was destroyed. With their powers at their peak, they would have the prime opportunity to wipe out the Joketsuzoku once and for all.

Jacob found himself being pushed to his limits as his antagonist began to get stronger and faster with each passing moment. What was even worse was that the Musk King had managed to get in several, ki and magic-infused strikes, causing substantial injuries. As he saw the glowing tip of Fire Wind's staff streaking toward him, he instinctively raised his swords to block.

However, his opponent anticipated the move, and turned the thrust into a feint. With a precisely aimed swing, he knocked both swords out of Jacob's hands and sent them flying away. He followed through with a series of thrusts and swings. The ancestor of Jon and Matthew managed to counter most of the attacks with his arms and legs, but a few penetrated his defenses. Then a sickening sound was heard.

_**SPLASH! **_

He immediately realized that his swords had landed in one of the cursed springs, but he couldn't spare the time nor the risk of retrieving them. It was then that Fire Wind glowed intensely with a fiery aura.

{"Yes! At last, my power has peaked! _FIRE BLADE!_"}

Swinging his staff in a wide arc, Fire Wind made a huge, crescent-shaped wave of energy appear. The attack arced toward the heir to the Talbain Wolf-Fist Style and impacted heavily against him. An intense burning sensation was felt, while a huge, bloody gash appeared on Jake's chest. He was sent flying backward and tumbled to the ground. Then in an instant, the Musk Ruler was upon him and began to beat him savagely.

The sounds of metal striking flesh, and bones near to breaking echoed throughout the valley. With every hit, the hopes of the Amazons diminished.

* * *

On the sidelines, Gel had to be physically restrained by her comrades as Jacob was being mercilessly pummeled.

["_LET ME GO! I HAVE TO HELP HIM!_"]

She would have broken free, but she suddenly stopped in her struggles when a gnarled staff was thrust out before her. She looked toward her great-grandmother, who had a stern look on her face, though her ancient eyes reflected signs of sadness and regret.

["I'm sorry, Gel. We cannot interfere. We are honor-bound to witness this match... to its conclusion"]

* * *

Jacob was now a bloodied and bruised mess on the ground as his foe prepared to deliver the killing strike. With his staff held up high, Fire Wind smirked.

{"You fought well, though your defeat was inevitable. I now send you to join your ancestors! Farewell, Jacob Talbain!"}

It was at that moment that the full moon reached its zenith.

The staff came down in a deadly strike, meant to impale its victim through the chest. However, it would not find its target, as Matthew's ancestor suddenly rolled to the left, then came up with his right fist aimed at Fire Wind's chin.

_**THA-BOOM! **_

The impact of the uppercut thundered throughout Jusenkyo as the Musk Dynasty king was lifted off the ground and sent flying more than fifty feet away. He barely managed to roll safely and get back to his feet. It was then that his eyes widened in complete shock as he and all those present witnessed Jacob's transformation.

The Wolf-Fist fighter let loose with a bone-chilling howl as his body began to grow in size and muscle mass. The bloody gash on his chest sealed itself up, before his torso became covered in a thin coat of fur. His hands elongated into claws, while his feet burst out of his sandals. His head morphed into that of a wolf's while his teeth became ferocious fangs. . All other injuries he had sustained rapidly began healing themselves. A bushy tail sprouted out from the small of his back, completing the metamorphosis.

The playing field had just been leveled.

* * *

Gel and all the other Amazons, as well as the Musk Dynasty warriors, stood with their mouths open and in complete awe. Never in their lives had they ever witnessed such a transformation. And even from a distance, they could feel the raw and awesome power emanating from Jacob.

["I don't believe it! What has happened to Jake? How can this be.?"]

["Hmmm so that explains it."] Rouge remarked while deep in thought.

["Explains what?"]

["I'd say that Fire Wind is now in _VERY BIG TROUBLE!_"]

["What?!"]

The Elder nodded as she explained, though she did not take her eyes off the battle. ["The Musk Dynasty may draw its power from Jusenkyo, but even that pales in comparison to what Jacob is."]

Gel swallowed hard and tried not to show any outward signs of fear, as that was unbecoming of an Amazon. She then asked in a trembling voice, ["What do you mean? What is Jake?"]

["He's a member of the legendary Old Races. He's a werewolf!"]

["Werewolf? You can't be serious! Werewolves are only legends fairy tales bedtime stories for children!"]

Rouge pointed a wizened finger at Jacob. ["Does he _LOOK_ like a fairy tale to you? I always suspected that Jacob's wounds healed too fast to be normal and I can now see why. It is said that lycanthropes have amazing healing abilities and cannot be killed by normal means. They are connected to the supernatural power of ancient times. Fire Wind may have just met his match or perhaps his better!]

* * *

Fire Wind trembled slightly as he beheld his rival in his hybrid form. Never before had he encountered such a being. The Musk may possess animal powers stolen from Jusenkyo, but Jacob's bestial shape emitted a kind of feral presence that put them to shame. Then, in less time than he could tell, the ruler of the Musk Dynasty was introduced to pain on the most intense of levels.

In a heartbeat, Jacob flashed forward inside a comet of light, letting off a shrill howl. Fire Wind tried to block the charge, but the Beast Cannon split his staff in two and plowed into him like a runaway tank. Then the living comet changed direction, bouncing the Musk warrior upward. Then he changed again, and again, and again. The formally snobbish king was bounced about like a pinball, receiving massive damage with each blow. He was then slammed hard to the ground as Jacob landed some fifteen feet away and in a ready stance.

As Fire Wind unsteadily got back to his feet, Jake reached behind his back and pulled out an object. Swinging it about in graceful arcs, he let off another howl and charged in.

"_MILLION FLICKER!_"

Moving with a speed that made the Amaguriken technique seem plodding, he let loose with thousands of quick strikes per second. Jacob's foe was unable to block more than half of the attacks and ended up with an impressive array of welts and bruises. Then he received a hard blow to the chest, sending him backward again. He immediately got back into a ready stance, then gasped in surprise as he saw what his rival had struck him with.

The weapon was no more than a pair of black, wooden rods, each only ten inches in length and attached by the ends with a length of chain. He growled in anger at the seemingly flimsy instrument.

{"A rice flail?! You dare to attack me with a peasant's tool?!"}

Jacob Talbain smirked, showing an impressive set of fangs. {"I think this is more than adequate for the likes of you."}

{"_DIE!_}

The enraged Musk leader then let loose with another gout of flames, but this time, his target stood his ground. Swinging his makeshift weapon about while charging it with his own ki and mystical power, he caused the stream of fire to scatter harmlessly away from him. Then he stood in a wide-legged stance with his weapon held out in front of him.

{"Not bad. Let me tell you something. Your dragon powers are impressive, but they don't come close to the real dragons, because I've fought them before."}

{"W-What?!"}

{"Yeah, you meet a lot of them in the Makai. And I learned a couple of things from them too. You can dish out the heat, but let's see if you can take it. _DRAGON CANNON!_"}

With this cry, Jacob let loose with a huge blast of ki and magic, which took the form of seven fiery wolves, in a stream that resembled a dragon's breath. His enemy tried to counter with his own technique, but as the two attacks collided, the lycanthrope's blast overwhelmed his and the resulting backlash engulfed Fire Wind in searing flames. He let off a scream of pain as much of his body was badly burned.

Then his opponent charged in to finish him off. Letting loose with yet another howl, Matthew's 20th great-grandfather readied his claws. His rival made another staff appear to block the attack, but it was not enough

"_RAZOR SLICE!_"

In a flash of deadly light, Fire Wind was disarmed... literally!

There was a long silence as the wind gently blew through the valley. Both men stood motionless, with the Musk ruler holding out his staff, while the lycanthrope stood behind him in a crouching position. Then it happened.

_AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!_

Fire Wind fell to his knees as his arms fell from their shoulders in bloody stumps. He slowly turned his head to face his conqueror with hatred in his eyes. Blood continued to gush from his severed limbs.

{"Damn you! You will pay for this!"}

With rage and hatred driving him forward, Fire Wind made one final charge at his foe, despite the fact that he was armless. His attack was easily avoided and that was when Matthew's ancestor got behind him and wrapped the chain of his weapon around the Musk Dynasty king's throat. He started to tighten the links, causing his adversary to choke.

{"Do you yield?"} Jake asked in a deadly, quiet tone.

Fire Wind let off a snort of disdain and spat out, {"You have forgotten what I said before? Only if you kill me will the Amazons know peace for a time."}

There was a long pause, before Jacob nodded.

{"So be it."}

_**SNAP!**_

* * *

The present time

"So that's how the duel ended?" Matthew asked, as he realized that his 20th great-grandfather had won the fight by snapping Fire Winds neck.

Jon nodded. "Keep in mind son, that Fire Wind and the Musk would have not hesitated to kill him and all the Amazons, if our ancestor had not won. The village would not be here if it weren't for his victory."

"So what happened afterwards?"

* * *

The past

The Musk Warriors remained silent as several of them carried the body of their fallen leader away. Then, after a long pause, the rest of their forces followed the makeshift funeral procession, as they headed back toward their lands. After a few minutes, every single member of the Musk Dynasty was gone from sight. At that time, Jacob turned to face the Amazons. He made ready to make a fast exit, should they start to come after him with torches and pitchforks. He was used to such things in England.

However, to his surprise, the warrior women began letting loose with thunderous applause and cheers. Almost immediately, a large portion of them came streaming toward him. Gel was at the front of the adoring mob, as she leapt up and tackled him to the ground. Jacob found himself piled on by a dozen women, as they hugged and kissed him with wild abandon.

It seemed that the werewolf had just won the admiration of the entire Joketsuzoku.

* * *

Later

Jacob stood before the group of Elders in his hybrid form, as crowds of villagers surrounded the High Council Lodge.

The eldest of the Matriarchs, an ancient woman by the name of Perm, nodded to the lycanthrope. {"This village, and all those who reside here, owe you much for what you have done this night. Furthermore, we are privileged to be in presence of one of the Old Races."}

{"No thanks are necessary."} The Talbain fighter said. {"Although, I fear that the Musk will return soon to seek revenge for the death of their king."}

{"Not so, Jacob Talbain."} Perm assured. {"It is because of his death that we have been given a reprieve from our constant struggle against the Musk Dynasty. You do recall Fire Wind telling you that only through his death would we receive a measure of peace?"}

{"Yes."}

{"There was a meaning behind his declaration. The Musk Dynasty strictly follow the tradition of a lengthy funeral and mourning process when their king is killed in battle. It is their law that they do not wage war for one year, as a sign of respect for their leader. This has only happened once in their history, and they have always followed this law."}

{"I see. Well, that gives us some time for their eventual attacks. What we need is something to keep them away for a lot longer than 12 months. I think I will be staying for a while longer. I have to resolve this matter before I move on."}

{"Still, we owe a great debt. If there is anything within our power that you wish, we shall do so"}

* * *

Several weeks later

Gel let off a wistful sigh as she watched from her bedroom window. Jacob was just coming back from a successful hunting and training trip. He was currently in his hybrid form and had a large deer slung over his shoulder. Several of the eligible warrior maidens came up to him and made petitions to challenge him. The werewolf smiled and gently turned them down.

With the villagers gradually getting used to his more powerful form, Jacob had been receiving far more attention from the opposite gender. Though his human appearance was considered quite handsome, his lycanthrope side was downright magnificent. Many of the families urged their unwed daughters to capture the heart of the heir to the Talbain clan, in order attain prestige and to increase their bloodlines. Such strong mystical blood would be a welcomed addition to the gene pools.

And then there were requests for Jacob to bite them. The legend of the lycanthropes were known, and many wanted to become powerful beings like him. Matthew's twentieth great-grandfather was especially adamant not to spread Secondary Lycanthropy. But still the suitors persisted. Some of them were especially determined.

Gel's rival Comb had tried her hardest, either to challenge Jacob in order to marry him, or convince him to give her a bite. At one time, she tried to sneak into his hut and seduce him. However, Jacob had thwarted every one of her attempts.

The green-haired Amazon had to find a way to get him and soon. It would only be a matter of time, before either one of the other girls ensnared him, or before Jacob would leave the village, possibly never to return again.

* * *

The present

"And in the end, Jacob did find a way to keep the Musk at bay indefinitely." Jon explained. "After looking about the area near Jusenkyo, he discovered the mystic stones, which actually weakened those who derived their power from the Cursed Training Grounds. After setting up the seals that still surround the Amazon Lands to this day, he got set to leave the Joketsuzoku."

* * *

Back in 1402 AD, two months after the duel

The Amazons watched in awe as Jacob, in his hybrid form, hefted the massive timber above his head. With the full moon shining down on him, his strength was at its fullest potential, allowing him to easily move the multi-ton log into place. As the timber was fastened down, Jacob stepped back to admire his handiwork.

The new Challenge Log platform was complete and would be used to for the Annual Battle Tournament, as well as to settle disputes and other ceremonies. He then reached down and picked up his pack as he prepared to leave.

At that point, several Elders and a large group of young women, approached in order to see him off. At the head of the crowd as Rouge, along with Gel behind her.

{"Good evening, Rouge, and everyone else. It seems that it is time for me to say my farewells."}

There was a symphony of groans and aaaawwwws' among the women as none of them had been able convince him to stay. And with the new Pact in place, they could no longer catch him with the Outsider Law. Gel was especially disappointed.

{"Are you certain that you will not stay?"} Rouge asked, though she already knew the answer.

{"My time here has been quite enjoyable and I learned a lot from your people. However, I do have responsibilities back home and I'm afraid it's time for me to move on. However, as agreed, I will come back to check up on those seals, and the Talbain Clan shall always aid the Joketsuzoku in their times of need. In return for our assistance, any member of the Talbain family, (myself included), is hereby exempt from the Outsider Law."}

{"A pity. I would have liked to call you Son-In-Law."}

{"Heh. Well the Council did say that I could have anything for defeating Fire Wind. However, that doesn't mean that I might not take an Amazon wife in the future. Who knows? But for now, I have to get going. Farewell!"}

The crowds cheered and waved to him as he headed toward the gates.

* * *

Back to the present

"Wow. That was some story." Nabiki remarked as Shampoo finished her tale of how the Talbains met up with the Amazons. "So I guess your ancestor didn't get to marry Jacob Talbain, huh?"

"Is pity. But ancestor Gel later marry nice man and have many children."

* * *

Back at the Amazon Quarry

"By the way Dad, I wondering. What happened to Jacob's swords? I mean, didn't he get them back from the Cursed Training Grounds?"

Jon shook his head. "According to his journal, Jacob never retrieved his swords, since he didn't know which pool they were in, and he didn't want to risk getting cursed. As far as anyone knows, those blades are still there at Jusenkyo and"

It was at that moment that both werewolves sensed the presence of something supernatural. Then, the pair of lycanthropes got into battle stances as a pair of ghosts appeared.

To be continued

Wow, this took a long time to write, but it's finally done. As for the battle with Hsien Ko and her sister, that's up next and then we'll be looking back at Japan where the spirit of Bishamon will rise to wreak new havoc. Plus we'll be seeing our friends at Hellsing as they try to deal with a possessed Alexander. See you there!

(1) According to some accounts, the nunchakus came about in the 17th century when the Satsuma daimyo invaded Okinawa and imposed a no-weapons law against the peasantry. Some say that the nunchaku was inspired by the rice flail or the horse bridle, with some origins coming from China. Another theory is that the weapon was adapted from a night watchman's signaling device and billy club. This is just my way of altering history to tell a story. You'll see this a lot in future chapters. 


	11. Chapter 10: Curse of the Chinese Ghosts

**The Beast Within **

Disclaimer: Ranma , Darkstalkers and Hellsing belong to everyone else but me.

- -: Thoughts

[ ]: Cantonese and Mandarin

**Chapter 10 **

**Curse of the Chinese Ghosts **

Both members of the Talbain family immediately sprang to their feet ,while taking out their nunchakus and headed toward the exit of the cave. Matthew leapt to the left while his father took the right flank. The two lycanthropes took ready stances as the ghosts of Hsien Ko and Mei Lin appeared before them.

The blue-skinned sister of the spectral siblings nodded to the two male fighters. ["Oh look sister. They have sent us two more to amuse us."]

["Yes, but this time, they are very handsome."] Mei Lin agreed as she pointed to Jon. ["Especially this one. Reminds you of the Beloved One, do you not think?"]

["Indeed. However, the Beloved One is no longer here and sadly, we must fight these two now."]

-_Beloved One? Who are they talking about?_- Jon thought as he listened to their conversation. Then he tensed up as he noticed that Mei Lin was about to merge with her sister.

"_MATTHEW!_"

The former Saotome nodded as he powered up his ki and threw his enchanted nunchakus at the weaker half of the Kuang Shi sisters. Mei Lin screamed as the chained clubs, inscribed with magic runes, actually impacted against her and prevented her from transforming into her Mystic Seal form. Matthew pressed the attack as he charged in with the Beast Cannon, forcing her to retreat away from her sister.

["Mei Lin!"] Hsien Ko cried out as she tried to aid her. However, as she threw her sleeves forward and let loose with a barrage of chains and sharp blades, Jon intercepted the attack with his own nunchakus.

"_MILLION FLICKER!_"

With a practiced ease, he deflected each of the projectiles, causing them to fly away and disappear in clouds of smoke. As he took a ready stance for the next attack, he was bit surprised as Hsien Ko stood motionless and in total confusion.

["Well?"] Jon asked.

Hsien Ko remained silent for a long moment before replying. ["How do you know of that technique? Only the Beloved One used it."]

This got Jon even more confused, then he began to piece it together. ["Huh? What do you mean? It's one of our family moves. Wait. Hold on a minute are you saying this Beloved One was"]

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!_"

The ghostly scream caught both of their attentions as they turned to see Matthew chasing Mei Lin about. Clearly, she was not as powerful as Hsien Ko and was faring badly against the younger werewolf. She was just barely deflecting his attacks and she was on the verge of being overwhelmed.

["_SISTER!_"]

The blue-skinned ghost girl thrust her sleeves into the ground, and sent a sneak attack toward Matthew.

"_WHOA!_"

Jon's son had to break off his assault on Mei Lin as huge, pointed blades appeared out of the ground, almost skewering him. He barely managed to dodge them as he backed off.

This gave Hisen Ko's sister the opportunity to disappear into a cloud of smoke. She reappeared as a scrap of paper on Hsien Ko's forehead, completing the union. As a result, Matthew and Jon's opponents' power increased exponentially.

Throwing her sleeves skyward, Hsien Ko sent a mind-boggling amount of blades, chains and other implements into the air. This caused a virtual rain of weapons to come down on top of the two Talbains. The werewolves had to swerve and duck for cover as the metal storm would have turned them into pincushions. When the last of the weapons clattered on the ground and disappeared, the lycanthropes decided that it was time to up the ante.

With simultaneous howls, father and son shifted to their hybrid forms, while taking opposite sides of the combined ghost. It was at that moment that their opponent suddenly stopped as the two specters got a good look at the transformed Jon Talbain.

At that moment, all thoughts of battle left their minds, as Mei Lin inexplicably changed back into her ghost form and appeared beside her sister. Then the two addressed Matthew's father simultaneously.

["The Beloved One!"]

Jon's intelligent response to this development was, "Huh?"

What happened next was even more bewildering as the two ghosts immediately tackled the head of the Talbain Family and hugged him tightly. Due to their mystical auras, they actually became solid to the touch.

"_JACOB!_" Hsien Ko and Mei Lin cried out in unison.

Jon could only stand in silence as he gave his son an expression of total non-comprehension. Matthew shrugged in response as the two girls continue to lovingly embrace his father.

-_First there was that succubus, then Mom, now a couple of kuang shi. Sheesh! Dad certainly knows how to charm all kinds of women!_-

* * *

A few minutes later

["You are not the Beloved One?"] Mei Lin asked as she and her sibling were finally pried away from Matthew's father.

Jon shook his head as he explained. ["If you mean that this Beloved One was Jacob Talbain, then no I am not him. I am Jon Talbain."] He gestured to his offspring. ["And this is my son, Matthew. Jacob Talbain was our distant ancestor."]

["But you look like him!"] Hsien Ko insisted.

Matthew's sire nodded. ["Yes, the family resemblance to our ancestor is strong and I have been told by others that I do resemble him. However, I'm afraid that the Beloved One that you knew six hundred years ago is long gone. We came here due to the Pact, when you started to haunt this quarry"]

["Yes, we know of the Pact."] The younger of the kuang shi siblings said. ["We were there when you I mean, the Beloved One set up the Pact with the Elders."]

["Ancestor Jacob Beloved One? Why?"] Matthew inquired. His Cantonese was still imperfect, but was understandable.

Both ghost girls blushed a bit as the aqua-skinned one replied, ["It wasn't a secret that many girls wanted to marry him, so we called him the Beloved One."]

["All right."] The older werewolf said as he posed the ghosts another question. ["But that still doesn't explain why you two are haunting this quarry, and preventing your sister Amazons from mining those mystic stones. You are aware that they are the key to keeping the Musk Dynasty away from the village, right?"]

Both of the spiritual Amazons nodded as Mei Lin explained. ["We know that, but we have no choice. We are under... a curse and it's because of that Pact, that we are in this situation."]

["Please tell me the whole story."]

* * *

Back in the village

"Here is old story of tribe." Shampoo said as she showed Nabiki some old scrolls and books in her hut. She proudly showed off a section of the text which had rough images of Jacob Talbain.

The middle Tendo daughter nodded as she looked over the ancient texts, which were surprisingly well maintained for their age. Naturally, she couldn't understand Mandarin or Cantonese, but she immediately saw one particular detail about the scrolls. She pointed to a picture on a page.

"Is this Jacob Talbain? He looks a lot like Matthew's father, except for the hair color."

The purple-haired girl nodded. "Very handsome, yes? Some say Jon is Beloved One reborn."

"Beloved One?"

"That what they call Jacob Talbain. Many Amazons tried to get werewolf as husband, but never got him." She let off a sigh, remembering how her ancestor had failed to snare the lycanthrope.

It was then that Nabiki noticed a list of what appeared to be names. "What's this?"

Her Amazon host nodded as she replied, "That is list of people who lived in village long time ago. Is what you call... registry?"

"Oh. Say, why is there a gap right here? It looks like a couple of names have been erased or something."

Shampoo took a closer look at the section and shrugged. "Shampoo not know. Asked great-grandmother about it, but she never say."

* * *

Back at the quarry

["It happened about two years after the Beloved One I mean, Jacob Talbain came to our village."] Hsien Ko began as she and her sister explained.

["Every year he would come to check up on the Mystic Seals and to train. Since he was exempt from the Outsider Marriage Law, it was very hard for anyone to get him."] Mei Lin said in a slightly disappointed tone.

["When my sister and I failed to get Jacob before he left on that second year, we decided to try to get him by unfair means."]

["You tried to cheat... using magic, right?"] Jon guessed.

Both girls nodded in shame as the blue-skinned girl continued. ["We are very ashamed to admit it, and we paid dearly with our souls for our mistake."]

["What happen?"] Matthew inquired.

Hsien Kos sister answered as both noted that Jons son was also quite attractive. ["Our mother, Lo Shien, was the creator of our family's fighting style, the Art of Hidden Weapons. She also had access to many of the tribe ancient scrolls of magic. We took one of those scrolls, believing that it was a summoning spell for a love spirit. Unfortunately, we had misread the scroll and we ended up summoning a demon of destruction."]

["And then?"]

["The demon began to rampage throughout the land, killing many of the villagers. Since we felt responsible for his release, my sister and I went to fight the monster. After a long battle, and with the help of the village shamans, we managed to contain the demon in this quarry. However there was a price."]

["Your souls?"] The elder Talbain asked.

The two ghostly siblings nodded as Hsien Ko continued. ["In order to seal the demon, two life essences were needed. So we gave up our souls to complete the seal. And so our lives ended that day."]

The other sister then took up the explanation. ["Since we brought great shame upon our family, it was decreed that our names were to be struck from the village registry, so that our mother and all our descendants would not be held responsible for our mistake. No one was to speak of our crime, and eventually we were forgotten."]

["Until now."] Matthew's father added.

["Yes. Those miners broke the Primary Seal, releasing our souls. However, we did not pass on into the afterlife."]

["Wait. Not get it. If seal broken, where demon?"] Matthew pointed out.

The sibling specters let off a sigh as Hsien Ko clarified the reason. ["That is our curse. Our souls form the basis of the seal that is holding the demon at bay. We are unable to leave this place, and the mystic barrier is already weakened. There is a possibility that the demon may escape and we cannot endanger our sister Amazons."]

["So that's why you've been haunting this place."] Jon snapped his fingers in comprehension. [You weren't trying to hurt anyone, at least not seriously. You were trying to keep them away for their safety. You were protecting them."]

["Yes. And so we must stay. We can never leave."]

There was a long moment of silence as Jon considered what could be done. However, the decision was taken out of his hands as the entire area began to rumble. At first he thought it was an earthquake. However his mystic senses, as well as his son's and the two ghost sisters', began to detect high amounts of evil energy being emitted from within the cave. Large boulders began to fall all around them, forcing the Talbains to run for cover. Lo Shien's daughters didn't even bother to flee. After all, they were already dead. Debris and sharp fragments of rock simply passed through their intangible forms.

Then, a huge explosion rocked the quarry as a geyser of fire erupted from the cave. A huge, dark shadow emerged from the newly devastated landscape and towered above the four. It had two, crimson eyes that glowed with a bloody aura, and its overall shape was that of a gigantic, reptilian bird. It was like the shadow version of Rodan. It let off a blood-curdling howl, then took to the air, heading toward Jusenkyo.

Matthew swallowed hard as he addressed his father. "Uh, Dad? I hope that wasn't what I think it was!"

"I'm afraid so, Son." Jon then turned to the two ghosts who appeared before them. ["When you said that you summoned a demon of destruction, you weren't kidding! That thing is known in the Makai as a Death Wing! I don't know what spell you used, but somehow you had pulled that thing from the Dark Valley of Lost Souls. It happens to feed on chaos and life essences. And there's no greater concentration of chaotic magic and soul energy in this area, than the Cursed Training Grounds! If it absorbs all that power, then the Joketsuzoku, the Musk Dynasty, and eventually everyone else on the planet will be wiped out!"]

The two ghost girls gasped, as they realized that the horror they had originally summoned, had been re-released into the world.

The lycanthropes began racing across the ground, making a beeline for Jusenkyo. No longer bound to the quarry, since the beast had escaped, Hsien Ko and Mei Lin followed by taking to the air. Time was of the essence.

* * *

In the village, the Amazons stopped in their daily chores, as the sky suddenly darkened, and a very ominous feeling washed over everyone present.

In the Main Council Lodge, the Amazon Matriarchs became extremely tense as their senses picked up the malevolent power that emanated from a nearly-forgotten evil. The current leader of the village and eldest of the Amazons, Gloss, turned to her colleague Cologne.

"Did you feel that?"

Shampoo's great-grandmother nodded. "It would be impossible for anyone here to miss that! I have never felt anything so dark... and deadly."

At that moment, hundreds of screams and shouts were heard from outside. The council of Elders made their way to the front door and looked upward to see a giant, winged horror as it flew overhead. As it passed by, a hurricane-like gust of wind blew through the village and nearly knocked down several of the buildings. Just about everyone fell to the ground. A few moments later, Jon and Matthew were sighted at they approached the main gates.

Then they saw them.

Hsien Ko and Mei Lin beheld their former home after 600 long and lonely years. Though they did feel a sense of joy from this impromptu homecoming, they were also met with fear and hostility as several of their sister Amazons immediately picked weapons and prepared to attack.

"_NO!_" Jon cried out as he and his son stood between the specters and the villagers. At that moment, Cologne and the other Elders approached the two lycanthropes. They were closely followed by Nabiki, Shampoo and several others.

"Jon! What are these two doing here?! What is going on?!" Cologne demanded.

"There's no time to explain!" Matthew's father said. "Hsien Ko and Mei Lin are not here to hurt anyone! Right now, there's something even worse than the Musk Dynasty heading toward Jusenkyo!" He then addressed Elder Gloss. "Great Elder Gloss! Please give me the key to the Spirit Barrier!"

The oldest of the Amazons gave her people's eternal ally a puzzled look. "The Spirit Barrier Key? Why would you need that? It's already been weakened since we've been unable to mine new Spirit Gems to replace the old ones." She gave the two ghost girls a harsh glare.

"Please give me the key!" Jon insisted. "If we are to save everyone here, I need to stop that thing from reaching Jusenkyo!"

Gloss paused for a moment before reaching into her robes and drew out a small, metallic object. It was nothing more than a thin piece of gold-colored metal, shaped in the form of old-style key.

Jon quickly took it and raced into the Main Council Lodge. He was followed by his son, the Elders, Nabiki and Shampoo. When they reached the center chamber, he approached a very large stone tablet, set in the far wall. The tablet depicted a carving of Jacob Talbain in his hybrid form. Inserting the key into a hidden slot near the base of the carving, he gave it a quick turn. The eyes of the carving glowed with an eerie blue light, as the giant slab of stone moved on hidden tracks. As it slid to the side, it revealed an elaborate array of colored gemstones, set in a circular pattern and etched with ancient rune symbols.

Nabiki watched in fascination as Jon began to manipulate and alter the rune symbols. She then asked Shampoo what was going on.

"It is ancient magic barrier given to Amazons by Beloved One, Jacob. It keep away Musk Dynasty and also protect from other magic too. See gems there? Normally, they very bright. Now very weak. Need new ones. Couldn't get them since ghosts appear."

Jon nodded as he completed the alterations to the mystic inscriptions, then stepped back as the gems glowed with a slightly brighter hue. The new spell was cast.

* * *

The lands around the Amazon village suddenly flared with a dim light, then faded back to normal. The immediate area around Jusenkyo however was suddenly bathed in a bright luminescence as a huge, circle of light appeared. Just as the Death Wing dived down upon the Cursed Training Grounds, it suddenly stopped as it impacted hard against an invisible barrier. It tried to push through it, but the mystic wall would not budge.

Hiding in his hut, one of the many Jusenkyo Guides shivered in terror as he watched the Death Wing continue to pummel against the barrier. For the moment, Jusenkyo was safe.

* * *

In the Main Council Lodge, Jon let off a sigh and turned to face the others.

"That barrier won't keep that thing out of Jusenkyo for long. I've only bought us an hour or so. Once those Spirit Gems give out, then that Death Wing will suck up every last drop of spirit essence and magic there. We have to put that thing away for good!"

At that moment, Hsien Ko and her sister appeared before them. Both girls knelt before him while bowing their heads.

["Honored descendant of the Beloved One!"] Hsien Ko began. ["We wish to atone for all we have done against our Sister Amazons."]

["My sister and I offer our souls once again to seal the Death Wing."] Mei Lin said.

There was a long moment of silence, before Jon shook his head. ["Rise you two. I shall not condemn you to an eternity restraining that monster. What I had in mind is a far more lasting solution to our current dilemma."]

"What can we do, Dad?"

The head of the Talbain Family nodded to his son as he replied. "This all started six hundred years ago, when that Death Wing was pulled from the Makai. Our best answer would be to send the Death Wing BACK to the Makai."

"Send it back? How are we going to send it" Matthew snapped his fingers in realization. "Wait a minute! Jacob Talbain came to China through one of the portals from the Makai, right? So does that mean?"

"That's right, Son. And it just so happens that a portal to the Makai will open up within the next couple of hours. The location is near Jusenkyo and it DOES lead to the Dark Valley of Lost Souls. The only hard part is to subdue that monster long enough to force it through the portal."

"Then we shall aid you and your son, Jon Talbain." Cologne said. "Your family has assisted us for centuries. It is now time for us to return the favor."

"No! I cannot allow you to endanger anyone from this village! That Death Wing will feed on life essences, and will suck anyone dry of his or her soul if he or she touches it. Matthew and myself can withstand its power. I'm afraid that we must fight that thing alone."

["We shall also aid you, Jon Talbain!"] Hsien Ko declared as she and her sister stood up. "My sister and I understand Japanese. We will come with you and your son to battle the beast!"

"What?! You can't be serious"

"We are very serious." Mei Lin insisted. "We have very little to lose now. After all, we're already dead. Please! Let us help you as your family has helped our people! At the very least, let us redeem ourselves!"

The elder Talbain considered the two for a very long while, before finally nodding to them.

Things were about to get intense

* * *

Meanwhile, in Japan, at the Tokyo HQ of Hellsing

"Are you certain of the reports?" Sir Integra asked as her butler brought her nightly cup of tea.

Walter nodded as read the latest news concerning Hellsing's rival, the Iscariot. "According to our operatives in the Vatican, there has been a complication concerning the revival of their agent, Paladin Alexander Anderson."

"What kind of complication?" The leader of the organization inquired as she sipped her cup of Earl Grey.

"It seems that Paladin Anderson has gone berserk."

"How is that any different than his previous behavior?"

"He is not only killing his foes but also his friends. The reports indicated that once he fully regenerated, he mercilessly slaughtered the entire lab staff for no apparent reason, then went on a bloody rampage as he escaped from the facility he was in. Some witnesses said that he went about as if he was possessed. They also reported that Anderson wielded his blades as if he was holding a pair of katana."

Integra stiffened slightly for a moment, then put her cup down. She remained silent as a dark shadow appeared behind her. Her eternal vampire servant appeared and nodded to his master.

"Alucard do you think that Anderson is possessed? Perhaps by a certain bloodthirsty samurai spirit?"

The fanged individual smirked and replied. "That is quite possible, Sir Integra. We never did find the essence of Bishamon, since Jon destroyed the cursed sword, and we disposed of the armor. That murderous ronin may have found a suitable host in Anderson. So, do I have your permission?"

"You do. This time, we shall not leave any loose ends. Take Seras with you, and destroy Anderson."

"A pity I do not have the superb tracking skills of my old friend Talbain. Nevertheless, I shall carry out your orders."

With those words, Alucard disappeared from sight.

* * *

Back in China

"_BEAST CANNON!_"

The Death Wing was knocked off-balance as twin living comets struck its head near the right temple. High above, Hsien Ko, with her sister now a magical seal on her forehead, let loose with a barrage of sharp projectiles, followed by several dozen blunt objects. Again and again, they repeatedly assaulted it. The attacks hit the beast on the tip of one wing, distracting it from its intended target Jusenkyo.

Currently, the barrier that was keeping the beast out was holding, but just barely. The Guide who was managing the training grounds, continued to quiver and tremble within his hut, as he watched four inhuman beings battle it out. Then he noticed a certain someone approaching the gigantic monster near one of its feet. He wondered what kind of idiot would be crazy enough to come close to the thing.

* * *

"_MOUSSE! YOU COME BACK HERE!_" Shampoo called out as she and Nabiki went after the near-blind Hidden Weapons Master, (though nowhere near Hsien Ko and Mei Lin's abilities).

"Just you watch, my Darling Shampoo! I will show you the true power of the Hidden Weapons and destroy this monster!"

Ever since Matthew had arrived in the village, Mousse had been totally ignored by his beloved Shampoo, (though in normal circumstances, he was ignored by her any way). He had a long-standing grudge against the younger lycanthrope and was dead-set on proving that only he was worthy of Cologne's great-granddaughter. He would unleash his most powerful techniques and defeat the Death Wing, proving to all, especially to Shampoo, that he was no joke and that his family's fighting style was the mightiest of all.

In actuality, Mousse's Hidden Weapons techniques were from a minor side branch of the founding school, which came from Hsien Ko and Mei Lin's mother, Lo Shien. As a result, the near-sighted boy's attacks lacked the true striking power and mystical energy of the originals. The ghost sisters were actually hurting the Death Wing, causing it to feel substantial pain. As for Mousse's attempts

"_TAKE THIS! FIST OF THE WHITE SWAN!_"

_**Thunk!**_

Nabiki and Shampoo watched in total disbelief as Mousse attacked the Death Wings big toe with a duck-shaped training potty.

The Death Wing, not even noticing the assault, shifted its foot to one side, then suddenly raised it up, before bringing it down... on top of Mousse.

"_AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!_"

_**THOOM!**_

Both Shampoo and Nabiki gasped in shock after seeing the foolish boy seemingly get crushed underneath the monster's foot. As The Death Wing moved off to get away from the attacking werewolves and kuang shi, they both ran to where they expected to see the gristly sight of a pulverized Hidden Weapons fighter.

Amazingly, they found out that Mousse was still alive and intact, though in no shape to fight. He had just managed to pull out a large, metal shield to cover himself with, before the foot came down on him. Now his body was flattened into a deep, Mousse-shaped hole. His face had a dazed expression on it and his eyes were seeing stars.

Shampoo could only shake her head while pinching the bridge of her nose. She let off a sigh of disgust.

"Aiyah! Stupid, stupid Mousse!"

Nabiki could only shrug in agreement as she and the Amazon worked to get him out of the battlefield.

At that point, the barrier around the Cursed Training Grounds flickered and died as the Spirit Gems burned themselves out.

Sensing that the obstacle was gone, the Death Wing let off a horrendous roar and turned back toward Jusenkyo. As a result, one massive foot thundered toward the girls and the unconscious Mousse. It looked like the end, until they heard a shout.

"_BEAST CANNON!_"

Matthew charged in at full speed, striking the Death Wing's ankle and diverting the path of the limb away from them. However, this caused the beast to react out of pain and lash out. The sudden kick impacted hard against Jon's son, sending him flying toward a large pool. There was a huge splash as the lycanthrope disappeared beneath the waters.

"MATTHEW!"

Shampoo had to physically restrain Nabiki from diving in. Though she too wanted to go after him, she knew what would happen if she went in. She soon found it extremely difficult to hold back the Japanese girl as she displayed a kind of strength that rivaled the strongest of Amazons. Just who was this girl?

She could only pray that Matthew's new Jusenkyo curse, whatever it might be, would be something he could live with. She also prayed that he would come up soon.

* * *

In the depths of the pool, Matthew hit the muddy bottom with a hard thud. Realizing that he just been knocked into a Cursed Spring, he immediately tried to get out. He wasn't all that certain how the magic of Jusenkyo would affect a werewolf, but he needed to escape before he perished and turned the pool into the Spring of Drowned Lycanthrope.

Just as he started to make his ascent, he noticed a glint of metal on the pool's bottom, near the center. Swimming toward the light, he saw what appeared to be a handle. Then he noticed another handle and found himself drawn toward them. Grasping them firmly with both hands, he yanked hard and pulled both objects from the mud. Then his eyes widened in shock as he realized what he had just discovered.

-_NO WAY! I CAN'T BELIEVE I FOUND THEM!_-

* * *

Jon gritted his teeth as he was clenched hard within the Death Wing's talons. After seeing what appeared to be his son's demise, he had gotten reckless and was now having the life crushed out of him. As he started to black out, he heard a shout.

"_DAD!_"

The monster then let off a shriek of pain, loosening its grip on Jon, allowing him to break free and drop to the ground. Shaking his head to clear it, he looked up and saw that the Death Wing was now nursing a very serious wound near its left ankle. Standing in a ready stance some fifty feet away was his son, dripping wet and uncursed. His eyes widened in even greater shock as he beheld what was in Matthew's hands.

The weapons had not changed in the slightest, since their last usage six hundred years ago. The blades had neither dulled nor rusted. The metal gleamed as brilliantly as it did long ago. On each hilt, near the crossguards, was the crest of the Talbain Family. Each measured two feet in length, and was constructed of Orichalcum, one of the few substances that could seriously harm the Death Wing.

The Swords of Jacob Talbain. By sheer luck, Matthew had landed in the same spring they had been lost into, more than half a millennium ago.

Jon immediately began running toward his offspring as he sloppily swiped and slashed at his gigantic opponent. However, the beast retaliated and knocked Matthew back again.

Making a backflip, he landed on his feet and prepared to charge, when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned to see his father give him an assuring smile and nodded to the swords. The younger lycanthope paused for moment in protest, then nodded in understanding as he relinquished the weapons to his sire.

Jon motioned for his son to stand back as he held up the swords, and crossed them against his chest. His aura suddenly appeared in a bright, blue-white corona of brilliance as he prepared to deliver the final blow. Unlike his son, Jon was also a master of Jacob's techniques in the Fang and Claw style.

* * *

This was not lost on Hsien Ko and Mei Lin as they separated and floated above the Cursed Training Grounds.

"Look sister!" Mei Lin remarked.

"Yes! It's almost as if the Beloved One has returned! And his son was also magnificent when he wielded the swords!"

* * *

Jon let off a battle howl as he charged in with aura blazing and swords flashing. The Death Wing made one final lunge toward its attacker. Jon evaded the beast, then leapt up with his Beast Cannon technique. He then delivered the final blow to the monster's head.

"_SUPREME RAZOR SLICE!_"

Twin streaks of deadly light cut into the Death Wing, causing it to shudder and thrash about. Multiple gashes appeared all over the monster's body, as it cried out in pain. Finally, the body of the horror stiffened, then came down in a thunderous crash. The entire area trembled from the impact, with shockwaves rumbling throughout the valley. Finally, all was still as Jon stood triumphantly near the fallen Death Wing.

Matthew came running up to his father, then stopped as he noticed movement from the shadow beast. However, his father waved to him, indicating that it was all right. As he approached, Jon's son noticed that the Death Wing was not dead, but merely unconscious.

"You didn't kill it?"

Jon shook his head. "No. This thing is not here by choice. It belongs in the Dark Valley of Lost Souls. And that is where were going to send it."

* * *

Two hours later

Jon nodded as he, Matthew, Nabiki, Hsien Ko, Mei Lin, Shampoo and Cologne watched from a cliff that overlooked a small valley near Jusenkyo. As the mystic portal began to open up, several of the Elders used the newly mined Spirit Gems to make the portal even wider. When it was large enough, some of the villagers undid theenchanted ropes which held the Death Wing down. Sensing that its home was nearby, the gigantic shadow beast took off through the doorway to the Makai. Once it had crossed over into the alternate realm, the Elders immediately sealed up the portal.

The danger was past. There was only one thing more to do

* * *

Some time later

"Shampoo no understand. Why Matthew no have curse?"

Jon's offspring, in his human form, shrugged as he leaned against a pillar outside the Main Council Lodge. At the time, he, Nabiki and the Amazon were waiting for his father to finish his business with the Elders and to decide the fate of the kuang shi sisters. A very large crowd of villages waited outside as well.

"From what Dad told me," Matthew explained, "Jacob's Orichalcum swords had canceled out the magic in the spring they were in. Lucky for me they did. According to what the Jusenkyo Guide told me, that was the Spring of Drowned Cat. Can you imagine me, a wolf becoming a cat?" Matthew shuddered slightly at the memory of the Neko Ken training.

"You were really lucky Matthew." Nabiki remarked then turned to the purple-haired girl. "By the way, hows that guy... what was his name again? Oh yeah, hows Mousse doing?"

Colognes relative nodded in satisfaction. "Stupid Mousse will be in what you call traction for very long time. At least Shampoo finally gets peace."

Soun's daughter nodded as she addressed Matthew. "So what do you think will happen to Hsien Ko and Mei Lin?"

The teenage werewolf shrugged and replied, "All depends. They really didn't mean to harm anyone and I think they've suffered long enough for what they did six hundred years ago. We just have to wait and see."

Just at that moment, the front doors of the Main Council Lodge opened up. Out strode Matthew's father, also in human form, along with Cologne and the rest of the Council of Elders. On the lycanthrope's back, were Jacob Talbain's swords, once again mounted in their original scabbards and harness, in which their previous owner had left behind. Finally, the two kuang shi came out of the building and stood before the waiting crowds. There was a long, pause as nothing was said among those gathered there. Finally, Jon Talbain announced the decision of the Council.

"The Joketsuzoku welcomes back its long-lost Sister Amazons, Hsien Ko and Mei Lin; daughters of Lo Shien, and Masters of the Art of Hidden Weapons. Their names shall be reinstated in the village registry, and their feats of heroism in defense of their home shall be recognized."

A huge cheer erupted from the gathered villagers as dozens of men and women surrounded the two and voiced out their approval. After spending centuries alone, the sibling specters welcomed the adoration. The entire village was engulfed in a huge celebration of the return of two its members.

It was then that Matthew noticed something about the sisters. They were actually solid! The villagers were hugging and patting them without passing through their ghostly forms. He turned to his father with a questioning gaze, which Jon immediately understood and explained.

"The reason why we were able to touch them is due to their ghostly auras interacting with our own mystical power. However, during the debate, they asked for me to use Jacob's swords to remove the remainder of the seal magic that was keeping them bound to the mortal world. I warned them that they might cross over into the afterlife."

"So they agreed?"

"They accepted that risk and said that they wanted to see their mother. I used the swords. To my surprise, they didn't disappear, but their ghostly forms took on true substance. Apparently, they're alive now."

"Alive?"

"I suppose the best way to describe them is alive with ghost powers. They are now what would be termed as living kuang shi.' They're sort of like the banshee and the yuki onna."

"I see. Whoa! Wait a minute! If they're technically alive now, does that mean?"

"Yes it does. That means that those girls will age normally and can even have children. Basically, theyre just teenage girls now. Oh and they did tell me that they thought you were a very handsome young man."

-_Oh boy!_- Matthew gulped as the two ghost girls waved to him and gave him a bit of a mischievous look. Jacob Talbain and Jon Talbain might be out of their reach, but Matthew was fair game

This of course, didn't sit well with Shampoo and Nabiki

* * *

Later that night

At the Amazon cemetery, where the cremated remains of those who had passed away were interred, Hsien Ko and Mei Lin knelt before the grave marker of their long-departed mother. Both prayed in front of the marker and promised that they would eventually meet with each other in heaven.

Once their prayers were finished, the two left, not knowing that Lo Shien's grave marker started to glow with an eerie light. A moment after they were out of sight, an apparition appeared before the marker and took the shape of an elderly woman with long hair and elaborate, long-sleeved robes, which were similar to the two sisters. The ghostly image of Lo Shien smiled at her daughters before disappearing.

* * *

The celebration of the return of Hsien Ko and Mei Lin went on for the next few days, but eventually, things began to come back to normal as the Spirit Barrier was restored, thereby keeping the Amazon mortal enemies at bay. There had been some sightings of Musk warriors in the area, but they soon departed as the restored barrier drove them away.

Eventually, the Talbains and Nabiki had to prepare to leave. They had to get out as soon as possible, since the full moon was coming and the enchanted pendant Nabiki wore, would not be able to stop her transformation. It would be best for everyone if they left immediately.

* * *

"So sorry you no can stay longer." Shampoo said as she hugged her honorary Amazon sister Nabiki.

Over the last few days, she and the Tendo daughter had gotten on closer, friendlier terms. Though both considered each other as rivals for Matthew's affection, each respected the other and promised to fight fairly for him the next time they met. And that would happen sooner than expected, as the purple-haired Amazon announced that she would be part of the foreign exchange group, and would be attending school in Japan in two weeks.

Meanwhile, Jon, (both he and his son were in human form), nodded to Cologne and restated his family's promise, that they would continue to assist the Joketsuzoku, though now they had two new protectors in Hisen Ko and Mei Lin.

"It is good to hear, though I wish you would tell me more about that Tendo girl." Cologne said. "She has a great power within her. I can sense it."

"That is _HER_ business and I'm afraid that will have to wait for another time." The elder lycanthrope said as he gave the matriarch a small bow.

The crowds waved to the departing group, as they headed out toward the forest and the Amazon border. When they were about ten miles away, Matthew began discussing the next leg of their journey.

"So where to now?"

Jon nodded as he replied. "We'll be heading to Hong Kong for a short stop, then catch a plane to England."

"England? We're not heading back to Japan?" Nabiki inquired.

"We came here to help the Amazons with their ghost problem, and now that it's settled, we still have to take care of the issue of your Secondary Lycanthropy. I've been in contact with a friend of mine, and she says that she might have something that could help."

"She?" Matthew said in confusion. "Who are you talking about... ?" He then took on a slightly pale expression as he realized who his father was indicating. "Oh no! No! We are _NOT_ going to _HER_! No way!"

"What's wrong?" The middle Tendo daughter asked.

Matthew, who didn't seem to have noticed the girl's question, continued to argue with his father. "Dad! It was bad enough I ALMOST got cursed to being turned into a cat! You know how I feel about seeing her!"

Jon sighed as he tried to calm down his only child. "Son, I know that you're. uncomfortable about this, but it will only be for a few days."

"Uncomfortable?! That a mild way of putting it!"

"What's wrong? Who is this person you're talking about?" Nabiki interrupted.

Jon acknowledged her with his response. "I'm sorry for not answering you sooner, Nabiki. You see... my son has a bit of an issue concerning cats, or anything that has to do with felines. And I'm afraid that you can't get any more feline than Felicia. She'll be doing a show in London in a few days."

"I don't understand. What do cats have anything to do with my problem, and Matthew not wanting to see this Felicia person?"

The older Talbain looked at his son, and considered his pleading expression. He let off a small sigh and said, "I'm sorry, Matthew. But I'm afraid that Nabiki will have to know the entire truth. Since she's already aware of our family secret, she might as well know the rest of the story. Right?"

The younger werewolf let off a tired sigh before nodding. "Okay Nabs. If you really want to know why I've got a thing against cats, it's because I was almost killed by a bunch of cats."

"Huh?"

"Do you remember when I told you that I became a werewolf a lot sooner than normal?"

"Yes."

"Well, it was because I was forced into the transformation, in order to save myself. You see, I was thrown into a pit of starving cats when I was six, by my father."

"Your father?!" Nabiki gasped in shock as she looked at Jon. "You did this to him?!"

"No, he didn't!" Matthew said quickly. "What I meant to say, was that I was thrown into a pit of starving cats by my father... at that time."

"What are you talking about? You're not making any sense!"

"What I mean is this. Jon Talbain is my biological father. He named me Matthew Talbain. However, I was also known by another name for the first six years of my life. My name was Ranma Saotome."

To be continued.

Author's Notes

Wow! I can't believe how fast I wrote this chapter. In any case, we'll be seeing Felicia in the next chapter, (yes, I know you're jumping for joy Alex). Plus we'll be seeing a few other Darkstalkers, plus some more of Alucard's battle with a Bishamon-possessed Alexander. We'll also be seeing some special guest stars as well. See you there! 


	12. Chapter 11: Welcome to Castle Talbain

**The Beast Within**

Disclaimer: Ranma , Darkstalkers, Hellsing, and any others belong to those who get paid for writing this stuff.

- -: Thoughts

{ }: English language

**Chapter 11**

**Welcome to Castle Talbain**

In Nerima, 2 weeks after Nabiki left with the Talbains

"Look everyone! We just got word from Nabiki!" Kasumi cried out as she entered the dining room with a letter in her hands. Behind her, a couple of postal workers carried in a large crate. They gently laid it on the floor as the eldest Tendo daughter signed for it. After they departed, Kasumi began reading the letter, while Soun and Genma were busy opening the crate. __

To my family,

How are things going in Nerima? I hope everyone is doing fine. Traveling with the Talbane family has been really exiting so far. Visiting China and training with them has been very interesting. Enclosed you'll find photos of me in Beijing and Hong Kong. I've bought some souvenirs for you all and you'll find them in the crate I sent with this letter 

At that point, Genma broke open the top of the crate and greedily started digging into its contents. He gave off a whoop of joy as he found the bottle of Formula 247 Miracle Grow Hair Shampoo he had asked for. He immediately rushed off to the bathroom to use it.

Soun smiled as he found a bottle of rice wine and some cigarettes. He also found several boxes of Oolong Tea, and some Chinese clothing, some in Akane's size, while others were in Nabiki's and Kasumi's respectively. Kasumi continued to read the letter. __

You'll also find a picture of me and my friend from a rustic, Chinese village near Jusenkyo. You know, that place where Mr. Saotome and Ranma got cursed in? Sorry, but I'm afraid that the Guides won't let me ship a bottle of Nannichuan, Spring of Drowned Man Water. Why Mr. Saotome and his son didn't ask for the stuff when they got cursed is beyond me. 

Soun paused for a moment and cocked his head in puzzlement. Why didn't his old friend and son ask for the cure? He made a note to ask Genma later as he continued to listen to his eldest daughter. __

My friend comes from a village of Chinese Amazons, or warrior women. Her name is Shampoo. I know her name sounds funny, but she's a very skilled martial artist and she's helped me in my training. Who knows? By the time I get back, there might be a new 'best martial artist in Nerima.' Just kidding Akane. 

"Hmpf!" Akane snorted in irritation over her sister's joke. Nabiki, the best martial artist in Nerima? Not likely! Though the youngest Tendo girl was still envious that her sibling was traveling abroad and getting foreign martial arts training.

Kasumi read on __

As of now, the Talbanes and I are heading to the next stop in our training journey; London, England. Can you believe it? I'm going to Europe! Mr. Talbane said that I should be getting some training from Western Fighting Styles, and since our family martial arts is Anything Goes, it should be a good experience. And don't worry Daddy. Mr. Talbane is making certain Matthew and I don't miss any schoolwork , since he's hired tutors to educate us along the way. Oh, and Matthew's father has also made a deposit in the family bank account today, so you don't have to worry about the bills this month.

Love you all and hope to see you soon.

Nabiki 

Soun breathed out a sigh of relief. Without Nabiki present to manage the books and provide steady income, he had been fearing that the bill collectors would be calling him. With no regular job, nor any students to teach at the dojo, the head of the Tendo family was basically incompetent at providing for himself, his children and two houseguests. Well, one houseguest mostly, since Akane's fianc was once again on his unintentional trip around Japan, trying to find the bathroom. Sometimes he wondered if 'Ranma' really was his friend's son.

"_**AAAAAAARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!**_"

Soun and the rest of his family turned their heads in surprise at the shout and saw a huge mass of hair running about. Apparently, Genma had ignored the instructions of the Hair Growth Shampoo, and had dumped the entire contents on top of his bald head. Now he had a huge mass of hair growing on all parts of his body, except for his scalp. He had a long beard, and he was covered by a thick coat of body hair. Even his eyebrows became bushier by the minute. He looked like a Japanese, bald-version of Bigfoot.

Kasumi picked up the empty bottle and began to read the warning label that had a Japanese translation. "Warning. Do not use more than half an ounce of product on Jusenkyo-cursed victims, as unstable magic will cause all remaining functional hair follicles to grow in excess."

* * *

A few thousand miles away, London, England

"Wow! So that's Big Ben! I've only seen it on TV and books."

Nabiki looked up in wonder at the huge clock tower, which was one of London's most famous landmarks. Walking beside her, Jon and Matthew continued to guide their companion.

"That's right, Nabiki. That clock tower's been working for the last 150 years or so." Matthew's father explained as he hailed for a taxi. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that we won't be able to do much sightseeing right now."

"That's okay. I mean, just being here in London is pretty cool." Kasumi and Akane's sister said as they all got into the cab. "So where are we going?"

"We'll be heading to our family estate near Brussels, and then we'll be seeing Felicia at her show in a couple of days."

"Hmpf!" Matthew growled as he absently looked out the window of the cab.

Jon let off a tired sigh. "Son, isn't about time you let that go? I mean, it's not like Felicia was the one who threw you into that pit or had mauled you. And she is a very good friend of the family."

Jon's son let off a tired sigh to match his father's as he replied. "I know that, Dad. But you can't really blame me, can you? That stupid old man of mine"

Nabiki nodded as she thought back to when Matthew had revealed that he was actually the REAL Ranma Saotome, and not that imposter that was engaged to Akane. Any respect she had for Genma Saotome, (and she had extremely little to begin with), went out the window, with the revelation that he would stoop so low to deceive her father, and take advantage of the oath to freeload at the Tendo Home.

Oh she had her own questionable traits, and she admitted it. However, what she did was for the sake of her family, since her father was incapable of providing for it. Now that she knew the truth, she had two options, neither of which was very appealing.

The first option was to tell her family the truth about the fake Ranma, or whoever that poor sucker was, posing as the heir to the Saotome Anything Goes. That would certainly get Genma out of the house, once his deception was uncovered. With no true son to uphold the pledge to unite the schools, that greedy idiot wouldn't be able to mooch off his friend.

Though kicking out that walking bottomless pit would certainly ease the family's food bills, there was a considerable problem concerning the pledge to unite schools of the Anything Goes Martial Arts. Knowing how much her father was obsessed over that dream, Soun would most likely insist that the real Ranma, namely Matthew Talbain, follow through with the oath and marry one of his daughters. Nabiki knew for certain that Akane wouldn't accept him as a fianc, (considering how many times he humiliated her and her martial arts). She wasn't too certain about Kasumi, though she did remember her saying that she'd rather not marry someone younger than her. That meant that the middle daughter would be the most compatible and logical choice. After all, she and Matthew were already dating and shared the power of lycanthropy.

Though she occasionally flirted with the idea of marrying Matthew, and would even look forward to it, she knew that he wasn't ready for marriage yet, and he certainly didn't like it when someone tried to force something on to him. He also didn't seem to be interested with carrying on the Anything Goes. In retrospect, why should he, when it had brought him nothing but pain and suffering, and his true family's martial arts were far more powerful? Furthermore, technically speaking, the younger Talbain was not bound by the oath, since he wasn't Genma's son. Jon Talbain was his father, and he made no such promise to Soun Tendo. To press the issue might lead to Matthew leaving altogether, and that was something Nabiki did not want.

The second option was to not reveal the truth about Ranma, but that didn't really sit well with Soun's second daughter. Certainly, it would ensure that Matthew would stay, but there were other considerations. If the marriage was allowed to take place, it would most likely end up hurting the family, especially with the fake Ranma's lack of direction and Genma's mooching. The School for the Anything Goes would also suffer. What kind of respect as a sensei, would the fake Ranma have, if he was never there to teach his students? Akane would also be unsuited as an instructor, considering her lack of patience and that hair-trigger temper of hers. Most likely she'd strike out violently when one of the students made a mistake.

Though she resented her sister for her uppity 'I'm a martial artist' attitude and the attention she got at school, Nabiki felt that it wasn't right, keeping this kind of truth from her. After all, Akane would be stuck with fake Ranma for the rest of her life, or until she killed him with her God-awful cooking. She shuddered at the memory of Akane's attempts to cook in the past. (1) Her sister's cuisine should be categorized as lethal biohazards.

To tell the truth or to keep it quiet. Both options had their pros and cons, but neither was more favorable. Nabiki decided to table those thoughts for later, at least until her own lycanthropy could be brought under better control.

* * *

Two hours later, in Brussels

"This is your home?!" Nabiki asked as she stood in awe at the huge structure in front of her.

The ancestral home of the Talbain Family was an enormous, ancient, but very well-maintained, medieval castle that overlooked a valley and several hundred acres of forest. The entire Tendo Compound could fit inside the castle walls with ample room to spare! The middle Tendo daughter thought she had gone back in time to the era of Robin Hood. Heck, she wouldn't be surprised if Errol Flynn suddenly made an appearance.

As they approached the main gate, which was of course, a huge moat and drawbridge, Jon pointed to entrance. In his other hand, was a long, black case. The drawbridge he was indicating, had the Talbain Family Crest inscribed on it, depicting that of a wolf's head against a crescent moon, with twin swords crossed.

"That's Castle Tabain, which has been in the family since the time of Joseph Talbain, back in 701 A.D. That would make him Matthew's 42nd great-grandfather, if I'm not mistaken."

"Wow! Was Joseph Talbain the first of your family's werewolves?"

"No." Matthew answered. "That would have been Marcus Talbain, back in about 50 B.C. or so. That about right, Dad?"

"Very good. You have been paying attention to your family history lessons. In any case, this particular gate has a very special feature, Nabiki."

"What kind of feature?" She asked.

Jon put down the case he was carrying. He winked at her and said, "This particular gate had a magic security system installed at the beginning of the Middle Ages. When active, this drawbridge can only be opened by a wolf's howl made by a member of the Talbain Family." He cupped his hands to his mouth and was about to let off a loud howl, when his son held out a hand to get his father's attention.

He gives him a smile and said, "Let me do it Dad."

Jon smirked. "Go for it Son."

Matthew took a deep breath, cupped his hands to his mouth and .

"_AAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!_"

As soon as he made the howl, the eyes on the family crest flashed in response. Then the huge drawbridge came down in front of them, bridging over the moat. At the same time, the massive, iron portcullis raised up to permit entry into the castle. Waiting for them at the entrance, was an elderly man with a small mustache, dressed smartly in a butler's uniform. He gave the trio a polite bow as they crossed the drawbridge to meet up with him.

Speaking in a rich, but low baritone, he greeted his employers and their guest. {"Welcome home, Master Jon. And also to you, Young Master Matthew. I assume that was you I just heard now."} He then addressed the young lady of the group, switching to flawless Japanese. "Miss Nabiki Tendo, I presume? I am William Dubroke, Head Butler of the House Staff. Welcome to Castle Talbain."

"Hello. It's good to meet you. I must say, you speak Japanese so well."

"Thank you. I am fluent in six different languages. I am also Master Jon and Master Matthew's personal attendant. My family, the Dubrokes, have faithfully served the Talbains for centuries." He then turned back to Jon. "My Lord. Though the staff and I are quite happy to see you and your son again, we are quite puzzled as to why you suddenly called, and told us that you would be returning. We were under the impression that you and Matthew would be residing in Japan for some time."

"Well yes, but a few things have happened since then. One of those things, was this." Jon took the conversation off to one side, held out the case and opened it. In the meantime, Matthew led Nabiki away to show her the castle.

Dubroke gasped as he saw the contents of the case. {"My word! The Swords of Jacob Talbain!"} His eyes widened even further in shock and awe as he looked over the blades. {"But, I thought they were lost in Jusenkyo six hundred years ago!"}

{"Well, it took a while, but we finally got them back."} Jon closed the case and handed it to William. {"Please have these archived in the museum in Jacob Talbain's section."}

The older man nodded as he took the weapons. {"Will that be all, my Lord?"}

{"For now. We'll let Miss Tendo settle in for the moment, then we have to head back to London the day after tomorrow to catch Felicia's show."}

{"Ah yes. The lovely Miss Felicia. A pity that Young Master Matthew is still uncomfortable around her and her brethren. A pox on that Genma Saotome!"}

{"Well, I'm still working on that too."}

* * *

"So what do you think, Nabs?" Matthew asked as he gave her an impromptu tour of his ancestral home.

Nabiki could only gape in wonder at the sheer size and opulence of the place. The expensive tapestries, the marble statues, the antique furniture, the paintings and draperies. She knew Matthew's family was rich, but she never thought they were _THIS_ rich!

At that moment, one of the maids, a pretty brunette with her hair done up in a braid, approached the two and gave them a curtsy.

{"Young Master Honored Mistress it's close to Tea Time and we were wondering if you would like to have it in the Main Dining Hall?"}

Matthew shook his head. {"No, I don't think so Alice. Why don't you serve us in the Garden Patio in about ten minutes or so?"}

{"Very good, Young Master. Oh, and since it will be the time of the Full Moon, will you and your father be making a round in the forest, tonight? If so, Head Butler William shall have the usual arrangements made, so that no one will disturb your... nightly excursion?"}

{"It'll be good to take a romp through my old stomping grounds."}

{"Very good, Young Master. I shall inform William straight away."} She gave the two another curtsy before leaving them.

Nabiki gave Matthew a confused expression. Since she had taken English courses in Furinken, she roughly understood their conversation. "She knows about your family secret?"

Matthew nodded. "Of course she does. You don't work as a member of Castle Talbain's house staff, without swearing a blood oath to keep the family secret. Those who violate that oath get their memories magically erased and they don't get much on severance pay either."

"So how many people work here?"

"Well, let's see. If I remember we've got about twenty maids six butlers three chauffeurs eight gardeners one head chef with a dozen assistants and a small crew of twenty for house maintenance and repairs I think that's everyone at the castle." -_Everyone that's human._- Matthew thought.

Nabiki's jaw dropped even lower at the her boyfriend's wealth. The Kunos were paupers next to the Talbains. Akane's fianc didn't even come close to compare with him.

Wherever he was at the moment.

* * *

Somewhere

-_Now where's that bathroom again?_- The false Ranma wondered.

* * *

After having a quiet sip of tea in Castle Talbain's Botanical Gardens, (which incidentally grew many types of rare herbs and plants), Matthew then led Nabiki to one of the little known sections of the estate, specifically the Talbain Family Museum. After passing through a multitude of security systems, they found themselves in a huge, cavernous room the size of fifty football fields. They were at least two hundred feet below ground, yet the atmosphere was kept at a comfortable temperature of 74 oF.

Nabiki was once again awestruck as she beheld more than 2000 years of Talbain Family history. There were countless artifacts, both ancient and modern. Each display was meticulously maintained, and there was not a single speck of dust anywhere. There were suits of armor from all time periods, and from different countries. Various articles of clothing and weapons were sealed in airtight cases. And adorning the walls were pictures of Matthew's ancestors. She immediately recognized one particular image and made her way toward his section.

"That's Jacob Talbain isn't it? The one who saved the Amazons six hundred years ago."

Matthew nodded as he noted that some new items had been added to his predecessor's section. In a small display case, lay the original nunchakus that Jacob had used to fight Fire Wind with. Beside them, were the weapons that Jon's son had pulled out of Jusenkyo. Jacob's Orichalcum Swords.

His girlfriend caressed the glass case and considered the history of the blades. Just as she was about to ask him something, her ears picked up a slight, shuffling noise. Her nose also caught the whiff of an unfamiliar scent. She whirled about in a rough, basic stance, just as something large came down from the ceiling.

The creature was roughly eight feet tall, with grey, leathery skin. It had a square head, with two horns sticking out. On its back were large, batlike wings, currently folded over its shoulders, forming a kind of cape. It wore a large, plaid, skirt around its waist, and had a reptilian tail. Around its neck was an ornate pendant. Its feet had wicked talons, while its hands were clawed.

Despite having already encountered werewolves, vampires, undead mummies, succubi, and kuang shi, Soun's daughter was still unused to seeing Darkstalkers and other mythological beings. Now she was face to face with a gargoyle! Just as she was about to make a move, Matthew let off a small chuckle and casually greeted the thing.

"Hey Grom! How's it going?"

The thing responded with a smile and a very thick Scottish accent. "Greetings to ye, laddie! What ye be doin' down here today? No that I dinna mind. Who be the pretty lassie with ye?" (2)

Nabiki stood and stared dumbfounded at the savage-looking beast who spoke Japanese, but with an accent straight out of the Highlands. Then she realized that the gargoyle was wearing not a skirt, but an over-sized kilt.

* * *

Later

"So you're the caretaker of this museum?" Nabiki asked as Grom showed her and Matthew around the museum.

"Aye lassie. That I be. The Talbain Clan and I been good friends for many a century. In fact, me great-uncle on me da's side be the one who forged those wee little swords ye be eye'n."

"Grom belongs to a family of Flame Gargoyles." Matthew explained. "Jacob's great-grandfather, Royce Talbain met up with Grom in Scotland, near Loch Ness. And yes, before you ask, the Loch Ness Monster DOES exist. In any case, Royce Talbain helped enchant that amulet that Grom's wearing right now. Without it, we wouldn't be able to understand him at all."

"Then, you're not speaking Japanese right now?" The short-haired girl inquired.

"Nay lassie. Gargoyles canna speak human tongue. What ye be hearin' is me thoughts and how ye would ken them." He held up the pendant around his neck. "Thanks to this wee trinket."

She then turned to Matthew with a questioning expression. Matthew shrugged and answered her unspoken query. "I'm not really sure why, but that amulet translates anyone's thoughts with a Scottish burr. Then again, since it was originally created in Scotland"

* * *

Still later

"Wow! I've seen pictures of these things in history books! So these were flown by your great-uncles?"

The artifacts in question were old fighter planes from World War II. The British plane was a Spitfire Mark I, and was painted a light brown with RAF markings. The American fighter was a P-40B Tomahawk, with an olive drab paint scheme, Chinese Air Force markings, and the famous Flying Tigers shark mouth design on the nose and fuselage. Both aircraft were in pristine condition.

"That's right." Matthew said as he sat on the wing of one of the fighters. "Great-uncle Kevin was in America when he joined up with the AVG. His brother Roy took part in defending London during the Blitz. They were sometimes known as the Sky Wolves."

"Aye, Matthew." Grom agreed. "Yer kin certainly knew how to scrap, even in the clouds."

* * *

Another part of the estate

"Whoa! Compared to this place, the one at Furinken High is nothing but a kiddie pool!"

The indoor pool at Castle Talbain was by far larger than any Nabiki had ever seen. There were diving boards at varying heights, and a huge hot tub. There was also a sauna and several massage stations, where private masseuses awaited, if needed. At that point, one of the lifeguards popped up out of the water and padded toward the two. The being was about two feet tall, green, looked like an oversized frog, and had a head that was shaped like a bowl, which was filled with water.

Kasumi's sibling could only gape as the creature waved politely at her, then tottered over to the hot tub. Setting itself down on one of the submerged benches, it let off a relaxed sigh as it let the soothing bubbles wash over it. Occasionally, it would snack on a nearby plate of cucumbers.

"Matthew?"

"Oh, don't worry about Shinko. My great-great-great. great-grandfather I think that's about right found his ancestors near Kansai at the end of the Tokugawa Era. (3) And like the legends go, as long as you feed a Kappa cucumbers, he'll leave the kids alone. Besides, Shinko's a good sort, (he's never eaten anybody), and he keeps the pool clean and maintained."

"He's not the only one." Another person said, with a very melodic tone. A beautiful woman then emerged from beneath the water and gracefully swam over to the pair. She had long, aqua-colored hair and saphire eyes. Just as she was about to rise up onto the pool's edge, Nabiki gasped as she saw that she was only wearing a bikini top and nothing else. However, she didn't need anything more as her lower body was covered in scales and sported a fishlike tail.

"A mermaid?"

"Actually, I'm an undine, but mermaids happen to be close, peaceful cousins of mine." The fish-woman said as she casually sat on the edge of the pool. "I am Kalesse." (4)

* * *

Later, after dinner

Nabiki couldn't believe that she had dined on such fine food. Kasumi's cooking was considered exceptional, but even she couldn't have produced such quality and with such ingredients. It was her first time sampling rich European food such as caviar, swordfish, King Crab, giant lobster and fine desserts from France.

As the dishes were being taken away, Nabiki looked about the Main Dining Hall, and all of its finery. High above her was an elaborate chandelier, made of the most exquisite of crystal. Various, expensive paintings adorned the walls. She sat before a huge, banquet table, in which only Matthew, Jon and herself occupied one small corner.

As she took in everything, she began to feel a slight tingle wash over her body. She recognized it as her Secondary Lycanthropy starting to take over. Very soon, she would transform into her hybrid form, despite the fact that she was wearing her enchanted pendant.

Jon nodded as he checked his watch and addressed his son. "The Full Moon will be out tonight, so why don't we give Nabiki a tour of the forests near the castle?"

"That sounds good, Dad." Then Matthew snapped his fingers in realization. "But she's going to need a change of wardrobe right?"

Jon nodded. "You're right Matthew. Why don't you and Nabiki see Arana and take care of that? I'll see the both of you near the northern edge of the forest, next to that big rock formation in about an hour, all right?"

* * *

A few minutes later

"So who's this Arana we're seeing?" Soun's middle daughter asked.

Jon's offspring nodded as he replied. "As you know, that pendant you're wearing, is _NOT_ going to be able to keep you from transforming tonight. We can't have you ripping your clothes like the last time." He blushed when he remembered that incident. "So we're going to have some of your clothes altered by the family seamstress. Arana's quite good at manipulating mystic silk threads."

"Mystic silk threads?" Nabiki repeated with some suspicion. "Let me guess. Arana happens to be a member of the non-human staff at Castle Talbain. No offense."

"None taken. And you're right. Arana's family has a contract with mine. Did you ever wonder why some of my clothes never rip apart when I transform? They just either shrink or expand as my body changes. Well, that's because she used her magic sewing abilities to imbue my clothing with the power to adapt to any form I take. Check it out."

Matthew morphed into his hybrid form. On cue, his shirt and pants expanded to fit his larger, more muscular frame. A small hole appeared near the seat of his pants to allow for his tail to protrude from the small of his back. His shoes simply shrunk into leather anklets. He then transformed into his wolf form.

For Nabiki, this was the first time she had seen his full lupine body. He was much larger than a normal wolf, and she estimated that he was about the size of a large tiger. His clothes immediately compressed themselves into a small, fabric collar. As the former Saotome switched into his human form, his clothes reverted back to their normal proportions and appearances.

"Wow, that was pretty neat! So what kind of being is Arana?"

"Well, why don't you see for yourself? This is where she works." He stopped in front of a door and placed a hand on the handle. "By the way, please do not scream or do anything that could be interpreted as offensive. Arana's race had gotten a really bad reputation due to the myths and legends surrounding them. Don't believe those stories. They're really decent folk."

The short-haired girl nodded. After encountering a multitude of mythological beasts and whatnot, she mentally prepared herself to meet Arana, whatever she might be. After all, Nabiki was dating a lycanthrope and was part youkai herself.

-_I wonder how my family would react, interacting with non-humans on a regular basis?_-

* * *

Back in Japan

Lilith sighed as she strolled out toward the gates of Furinken High. As always, her loyal and lovestruck group of fanboys followed like puppies. All except Kuno, who was still recovering in the hospital after being possessed by Bishamon and encountering Alucard and Jon Talbain. Thanks to the Hellsing Organization, his memory had been completely wiped of the affair and his severed right arm had been expertly reattached.

At present, the young daughter of Morrian Aenslade was bored, ever since the Talbains had left the country. Since their departure, Lilith had been discreetly feeding on the soul energy of her followers. She never took more than a small portion from each, in the forms of kisses and caresses. As such, they always recovered soon afterwards. However, they were dull and predictable and she wanted some amusement.

She had considered going after the possessed Paladin Anderson, who had been wreaking havoc over the last few days, but she was forbidden by Hellsing and her mother to interfere. As a result, there was no one around to entertain her.

"_LILITH AENSLADE, I CHALLENGE YOU!_"

Well, almost no one.

The teenage succubus turned to face Akane Tendo, currently dressed in her training gi. She nonchalantly waved to her entourage to step back a bit. Showing absolutely no concern toward her angry opponent, she yawned and addressed Soun's youngest daughter.

"Oh what is it this time? Another weak challenge from the so-called best martial artist in Nerima?"

"Weak?! Who are you calling weak?!"

"Oh please! I would think that it would be obvious." Lilith said with a sigh. This was Akane's third rematch. After her humiliating first loss against the succubus, the Tendo girl had been trying to prove that her defeat had been a fluke or that Lilith had cheated somehow. "If you're the best that your family school has to offer, then you might was well tear off your dojo's sign and use it for firewood."

That barb got Akane charging in with a full head of steam.

"_I'M GOING TO.!_"

Akane never got to finish as her opponent suddenly made a fancy top hat appear and tossed it toward her. The enraged Tendo girl was engulfed in a puff of smoke as a fancy curtain appeared to obscure her from sight. With a twirl, Lilith changed from her school uniform to a Playboys Bunny Suit, which made even her slender figure very enticing. She made a grand gesture and pulled on a silken cord, parting the curtain and revealing what was behind it.

"_SHOWTIME!_"

Akane found herself standing on a gaudy, brightly-lit stage. The top hat was on her head as flying eyeballs with bat wings floated about. Then, against her will as music played in the background, she started to dance. However, like her martial arts, her dancing was sloppy, uncoordinated, and possessed no grace at all. She looked as if she was doing a bad rendition of Michael Jackson 's Beat It routine. This display immediately had the audience, namely Lilith's Fan Club, booing, hissing and throwing rotten tomatoes at her.

Lilith then gave her review of Akane's performance by bringing out a sign with a lightning bolt on it.

_**ZZZAAAAAAPP!!!**_

Akane was suddenly shocked by more than 100,000 volts.

Then Lilith flipped over the sign to show an image of a flame.

_**FWOOOOSH!!! **_

Akane got engulfed by a sudden flash of fire.

Then the Aenslade girl flipped the sign again, showing an ice cube, and causing her opponent to be encased in ice. Afterwards, the stage blew up. The third Tendo girl ended up sprawled on the ground in a bruised, battered and smoking heap.

Lilith instantly changed back into her school outfit and bowed to the spectators.

"Special Technique Gloomy Puppet Show!" (5)

* * *

Back in England

Jon nodded to William as the elderly butler handed him a phone. He picked up the receiver and spoke into it

"Hello?"

On the phone, feminine voice responded. "Hey there, you big and wild wolf!"

Matthew's father smiled as he recognized the caller. "Felicia! Good to hear from you again. So you're in London already?" He nodded as he conversed with her. "Yes, my son and I are at the castle right now. Yes, Japan was very nice. No, I'm afraid that he's still uncomfortable around you and your troupe. I'm still working on it. Did you bring the item I asked for? Good! Oh, Victor and his sister are there with you? It'll be good to see them too. My son, myself and our guest will be there the day after tomorrow. We'll talk after the show. Yes, of course. Thank you. Goodbye."

* * *

At a private hotel room in London, the person in question stretched out on the bed as she hung up on the phone. Like all members of her kind, Felicia the Catwoman was quite the beauty. Her body was lightly tanned and had very sensual curves. Her bosom was very generous and the rest of her would cause any man to go into heat. However, unlike humans, the feline female wore no clothes, though her body had sparse patches of white fur, which covered her private areas like an exotic bikini. She had clawed feet and hands, her hair was blue with white streaks in it. On top of her head were two cat ears, which were arranged around another patch of fur, giving an appearance of a kind of bonnet. A slender tail hung at the small of her back and swished behind her buttocks, completing the appearance.

Felicia and the rest of her catwoman troupe used no magic as they performed their exotic dances and acrobatic displays worldwide. The general populace assumed that they were wearing cat costumes and used stage props to emulate a kind of supernatural flair. They were world-renowned as a traveling performance group and had even gotten offers from Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey, and circuses from China and Russia.

As Felicia contemplated her upcoming meeting with the Talbain family, her sensitive ears detected the approach of two people coming toward her room. She also recognized their scents and bid them to enter as they knocked on the door.

A huge, hulking figure of nearly nine feet in height, came in first. He was heavily muscled with short, shaggy hair. His skin was a chalky grey and had several suture lines all over his body His head was square and had a huge electrode protruding from each of his temples. Behind him was diminutive little girl with brown hair done up in a braid.

Felicia smiled at Victor and Emily Gerdenheim, the final creations of Baron Von Gerdenheim, in Germany. Emily had been the Baron's attempt to create a semblance of his deceased daughter. His first experiment was ultimately a failure as he was unable to create a mechanical heart that could continue to beat indefinitely. As a result, Emily's heart had to be constantly recharged and she possessed a weak constitution. His second attempt, which was Victor, did succeed in giving him a regenerating power source, but the end result gave him a monstrous body. He was unable to complete his work as he died soon after Victor's birth.

Emily would have eventually perished and her brother would have been hunted down and destroyed by the local villagers, if Jon's family had not encountered them in the late 1800's. Thanks to the Talbain wealth and connections, the work that was started by the Baron to give Emily a functioning heart was completed. She no longer needed frequent charging. As for Victor, not much could be done for his hulking form, though he was happy for his sister. Eventually, the siblings fell in with the Catwoman tribe and became stage-hands for Felicia's troupe.

"Stage all ready for show." Victor said in a heavy German accent.

Emily nodded as she asked the catwoman. "So we're really going to see the Talbains again? It's been over a hundred years. I still need to thank Robert Talbain for the heart." She placed a hand over her chest.

Felicia shook her head. "Sorry, Emily. Robert is long gone now. But you can give your thanks to his great-great grandson, Jon. He'll be at the show in two days with his son Matthew."

As the two departed, Felicia then pulled out a picture from her travel bag and smiled. The photo depicted that of herself and Jon, during an outing in Ireland. Then she thought about their past and realized that though he now had a son, technically speaking, he wasn't married. And the catwoman's grandmother had been hinting that she'd like to see Felicia bear some kittens.

* * *

Back at Castle Talbain

"So what do you think?" Matthew asked as he escorted Nabiki to the place where they would meet up with his father.

"That Arana really does some great work." She replied as she admired the alterations to her clothes.

She was currently wearing a short-sleeved blouse, slacks and shoes. Imbedded in the fibers of cotton and leather, were miniscule strands of magic silk, which would alter the shape and size of her clothes to match that of her hybrid body, whenever she transformed. The feeling of her clothes against her skin felt far more comfortable than even the best fabric softener. She didn't think it was possible.

But then again, considering that Arana was a jorogumo, she was just as surprised that spider-web silk could be used in such a manner. (6) Nabiki had almost screamed when she beheld a pretty, Japanese woman with huge spider-legs protruding from her back. However, she remembered Matthew's warning and kept a quiet, civil tongue. Keeping her thoughts to herself, she allowed the arachnid seamstress to work her magic and alter the clothes she was wearing. Arana also requested to have all of the Tendo girl's clothes in her suitcases, brought over to her chamber, so she could adapt them as well.

It was at that time as the pair exited the castle and headed toward the forest, that the Full Moon made its appearance. On cue, Matthew switched over to his hybrid form, with Nabiki following suit. As they reached the edge of the northern sector, they met up with Jon.

It was time for their nightly training to begin

* * *

Back at the castle, the maid named Alice met up with William as he currently polishing a porcelain tea set.

"Sir. Lord Talbain and his son are out near the northern sector of the forest. They are heading toward the lake with their guest."

The elderly servant of the werewolf family nodded as he picked up a nearby phone. "Hello? This is Dubroke. The masters and their guest are out on the grounds tonight. Standard security procedures are to be followed. No outsider is to be allowed on the premises. All possible measures are to be taken to ensure that NONE of Castle Talbain's secrets are revealed to the public. Outside surveillance devices are not permitted, and please have the illusion barrier engaged."

* * *

In the depths of the castle, certain figures worked over a boiling cauldron. The beings were three elderly women, wearing elaborate robes, and possessing considerable magical ability. They were the descendants of those persecuted during the Witch Hunts of Salem in the 1600's. Like all those the Talbains had met over the centuries, they too had been given a home at Castle Talbain. (7)

Upon receiving the message from William, the trio of spell casters began erecting the illusionary barrier, which surrounded the lands around the castle. This would fool anyone who was not part of the Talbain household, leading them away from the property, thus ensuring the werewolves' privacy. In addition, several groups of security guards and hundreds of surveillance cameras kept watch on the outside perimeter.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Japan

_**"KABOOM!" **_

Seras Victoria gritted her teeth as she hefted the huge, anti-tank rifle in her hands. The weight of the massive weapon was not the problem, since the young vampire girl possessed superhuman strength that rivaled Jon Talbain's son. The difficulty lay in fact that she had failed to destroy her target. The armor-piercing, depleted uranium projectile proved to be ineffective in slowing down a spirit-possessed opponent with unnatural regenerative powers.

Former Catholic Paladin Anderson smiled evilly as he stood with enchanted blades and a huge, gaping, and smoking hole in his chest. His eyes glowed with a murderous and malevolent light. The wound immediately healed itself up, as Anderson prepared to charge. At that point, a group of Hellsing soldiers came out and began spraying a murderous storm of blessed silver ammunition. However, this proved to be as ineffective as the anti-tank rifle, as the former agent of the Vatican easily withstood the barrage and advanced upon the agents.

Seras swung her weapon like a metallic club, but her opponent made some quick slashes with his blades, reducing the rifle into metal fragments. Knocking her away like a bothersome fly, he then tore into the Hellsing troopers, butchering them with glee. The entire street became littered with blood, gore and body parts, as the victims screamed in terror.

Just as the last of the troopers was reduced to human sushi, a shot rang out, blasting a sizeable hole in Anderson's forehead. However, this only caused the spirit-possessed maniac to pause. As his regeneration powers took case of the damage, he looked up and saw a familiar figure.

Standing on a rooftop, with a huge, smoking gun in his hand, and his trench coat flapping in the wind, Alucard smiled, baring his fangs. His eyes glinted as he beheld the ghost of Bishamon overlapping Anderson's form.

"Well now, this is quite the bargain. I get the chance to destroy _TWO_ enemies at once. This must be what the humans call a two-for-one special."

With that, he leapt down to battle.

* * *

In the forests near Castle Talbain

Nabiki was ecstatic as she ran through the woods, following Matthew and Jon Talbain. This was the first time she had been able to experience the full capabilities of her hybrid form since being bitten. The enhanced senses she had as a human were nothing compared to what she had now. Her strength and agility were phenomenal, putting even Gold Medalist athletes to shame. With the Full Moon's power flowing through her, she felt unstoppable. She was making forty-foot leaps with virtually no effort whatsoever. She mimicked each of the moves of the Talbains with little difficulty and kept pace with them. Her endurance by far outstripped that of her sister Akane, and if she wanted to, Nabiki could have beaten the entire Horde of Hentai in her sleep, a hundred times over.

As they approached a nearby lake of tremendous proportions, the trio came to a stop at the end of a dock. As they took a small breather, a familiar figure suddenly leapt out of the water with incredible grace, made a lazy turn in midair, then splashed back down. The middle Tendo daughter approached the water's edge and recognized the scent of the person in the lake.

"Kaleese!"

The undine smiled as she surfaced and swam toward the dock. With a graceful leap, she exited the water and alighted onto the wooden pier. She gave the three a wave as they approached her. She gave the transformed Nabiki a once-over and nodded.

"So that's your true form. It's been a while since I saw a female werewolf."

"Well, technically speaking, I'm not a true werewolf." Nabiki corrected, while slightly blushing. She noted that Kalesse was wearing an ornamental belt, as well as her bikini top. "You see I wasn't born this way and I can't transform on my own."

"Hmm, so that means that you were bitten by a werewolf, weren't you? You've got Secondary Lycanthropy then, right?" Kaleese then addressed the two Talbains. "So which one of you bit her?"

Matthew sighed while raising a hand. "Guilty."

Kaleese giggled a bit. "Heh. Well, this is a surprise! I was wondering when you'd finally get serious and start looking for a mate!"

"Kalesse!" Jon's son said with indignation, while his father chuckled slightly. Nabiki's blushed an even a deeper shade of red. "That's not the reason why I bit her! She was dying and it was the only way to save her!"

"He's right!" Matthew's girlfriend said quickly. "My body was crushed, but after Matt bit me, it restored itself. I was just lucky that I was one of the few that kept her humanity. But since I'm stuck in hybrid form, I've been traveling with the Talbains so I could"

The water maiden waved Nabiki off and smiled. "It's all right. I was just kidding and you don't have to explain anything. Here at Castle Talbain, we non-humans are given a home and purpose. And this is one of the very few places where we live in peace with humankind. It is our Lords' dream that the people of Earth accept all those who inhabit the planet, even those who came from the Makai."

"Well said Kalesse." Jon agreed as he took over the explanations. "The Talbain Family has been gathering members of the Makai and other beings for centuries. We help them adapt to human society and give them a sense of belonging. The ones you've met at the castle represent only a small fraction of those we have helped over the ages."

"Really?" Nabiki asked with interest. "So how many are living at here?"

Matthew began counting on his fingers. "Well, let's see you've met up with Grom, Shinko, Kalesse and Arana. There's the Grimbard Sisters down near the museum"

"Who are they?"

Jon's offspring shrugged. "They're from Salem, Massachusetts in the United States. You may have heard about their ancestors during the late 17th century or so."

The female lycanthrope thought for a moment, then gasped in realization. "They're witches?"

Matthew nonchalantly waved off her surprised expressions. "Like I said before, don't believe all those ancient legends and fairy tales. They're just figments of imagination and ignorance. The Grimbards happen to be Castle Talbain's resident magic experts and they're ones who are responsible for the protective barrier around these lands to ensure our privacy. Even satellite surveillance is fooled by their illusions."

"That's right son." Jon agreed. "And of course, let's not forget Turk the Gnome in the Wine Cellar, Clea, Sante, and the Mira the Wood Nymphs in the Botanical Gardens, and Bob."

"Who's Bob?" Soun's daughter inquired.

As if on cue, a huge wave erupted from the center of the lake as a monstrous form surfaced. It had a huge, serpentine neck, large slitted eyes and a slender head with a fin on top. It let off a huge roar, before diving back down into the water.

Nabiki stood in shock as her boyfriend pointed to where the beast disappeared.

"That was Bob."

She swallowed hard before asking in a shaky voice. "W-W-Was that the .?"

"Loch Ness Monster? Yep. Although, right now it's more accurate to call him the Lake Talbain Monster."

"B-But what's he doing here? Isn't he supposed to be in Scotland?"

Jon chuckled slightly. "Well Loch Ness got too polluted with all the trash and gunk people had been throwing into the waters, so we had him moved here about twenty years ago. We left some decoys and fake remains in Loch Ness to throw off any would-be monster hunters and fanatics."

"And the Loch Ness Monster's name is Bob?!"

"Well, actually his real name can't be pronounced in human language, so my granddad Martin Talbain settled on calling him Bob, since he met him while 'bobbing' up and down on Loch Ness. For some reason, Bob didn't like to be called Nessie, and he'd always throw a fit. Thanks to the Grimbards and their teleportation spells, it was relatively simple to transport him into the Makai, then bring him here to Lake Talbain."

Nabiki could only shake her head while smiling. Just when she thought she had seen and heard it all. Was there no end to the surprises and wonders of this place?

* * *

Speaking of places

-_Where on _EARTH_ am I _NOW_?!_- A little black piglet thought.

The one who had replaced Matthew as the Heir to the Saotome Anything Goes did not recognize his surroundings in the least. After losing his way to the bathroom at the Tendo home, he had wandered into the airport at Tokyo. He then got splashed with cold water after passing by a maintenance crew that was cleaning one of the airliner jets. Through a series of unlucky mishaps, 'Ranma' the Piglet had gotten loaded onto a plane bound for Iceland. Unfortunately, the loading crews had been negligent, and had not secured the cargo hatch completely. While flying over England, the hatch fell open and the Jusenkyo-cursed porker tumbled out and found himself falling some 60,000 feet above the ground.

It was only by pure chance that 'Ranma' had been stowed away with a shipment of exports, including a cargo of bamboo umbrellas. He managed to latch onto one of the rain-deflecting devices and used it as a makeshift parachute. He barely survived the impact when he landed in the middle of the forest near Castle Talbain sometime earlier that day. So far, he had been unable to find a source of hot water and had been roaming about the woods.

Now that it was nightfall, the fake Saotome had been hearing some mighty strange noises coming from this place. Not wanting to find out who or what those noises belonged to, he made a beeline toward what he thought was the edge of the wooded area. However, he instead came across a clearing with a campfire at its center. His eyes widened with hope as he saw a large pot of water was boiling in the fire.

-_HOT WATER!_-

Just as he was about to sprint toward the pot and dive into it, the ground shook underneath his pig feet. Then his view of the pot was blocked by a huge, green-skinned foot. Gulping, he looked up and saw a hideous, emerald, warty, face with tusks sticking out from the lower lip. Its body was massively built and was clothed in what appeared to be deerskin toga. In one clawed hand, was a huge, wooden club. The beady eyes shined in the moonlight, as the creature smiled in delight.

"Mmmmm! Appetizer!"

The behemoth then reached down toward his intended snack.

"_BWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!_"

In the blink of an eye, Genme's fake son ran like a bat out of Hell. His pursuer however, proved to be persistent as he began to give chase, knocking down several trees in the process.

* * *

Nabiki and the others turned in confusion at the sudden commotion.

"I don't need to have wolf ears to have heard _THAT_! What's going on?!"

Matthew checked the prevailing winds and caught a familiar scent. He then turned to his father. "Dad? It sounds and smells like Cruk!"

Jon confirmed it with his own senses and nodded. "Yes. It looks like he's after something."

Kalesse shrugged her shoulders. "He's probably chasing one the wild boars that live in the forest. You know how much he likes pork."

"Who's Cruk?" Nabiki asked.

"Ever saw Lord of the Rings?"

The Secondary Lycanthrope nodded. She had also enjoyed the books when she was younger.

The undine smiled and replied, "Well Cruk isn't a bad sort, though he doesn't have much upstairs. He's an Orc."

"An Orc?!"

"That's right. He's a bit brutish and severely needs lessons in table manners, but his heart's in the right place."

"His heart is in the right place," Jon amended, "but even he knows not to make such a ruckus in the forest, especially if he goes beyond the illusion spell of the Grimbards. The paparazzi have gotten a lot more curious about Castle Talbain's inhabitants lately. The last thing I need is to see Cruk's mug plastered all over the tabloids. Come on!"

Matthew and Nabiki followed Jon into the forest to head off the Orc and his prey.

* * *

Back in Japan

_**BA-KOOM! **_

Anderson's head nearly snapped off its neck from a point-blank blast from Alucard's gun, but the spirit-possessed Paladin shrugged off the damage and continued to attack, while his regenerative powers dealt with the injury.

The vampire in the red trench coat frowned as this cycle of damage and repair was getting boring. He then decided to switch tactics and began to release the seals on his hands. Believing that level three would not be sufficient, he decided upgrade to level two.

His dark aura emerged, giving off a shadowy, blood-red hue. His fangs became even more pronounced as his eyes glowed red.

Seras gasped as she recognized how serious her master was in destroying his foe. She signaled to any of the surviving Hellsing soldiers to back off and let their supernatural ally deal with Anderson.

Even the murderous ghost of Bishamon paused as it sensed the buildup of dark energy. The power that was radiating form the vampire made Dimitri Maximoff seem trifling. Anderson tensed and prepared to engage.

However, that was when the first rays of sunlight began to appear over the horizon. Japan was several hours ahead of England and therefore, the sunrise happened much sooner.

"Blast." Alucard muttered as he knew he had to get under cover. Powering down his aura, he gave his adversary a glare and said, "Another time Anderson."

With those words, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Seras had no choice but also pull back and get out of the approaching daylight. Another group of Hellsing operatives appeared and began collecting the dead and wounded.

Though the spirit of the deceased samurai had no such weakness against the sun, it too decided to withdraw. Though it enjoyed spilling blood, in essence it was a spirit that was born in a time of war. It thirsted for combat and challenge. With its strongest foe out of the picture, there was no reason to stay. Anderson leapt high into the air, and bounded over rooftops. In seconds, he was gone.

* * *

Back in England, still night time

"_AWWWW!_ But Cruk is hungry!"

Jon glared at the oversized Orc while holding the little black piglet by its bandana. Currently, 'Ranma' was unconscious. After a frantic chase through the forest, the cursed boy thought he was doomed to become some monster's late-night snack when Cruk caught up to him. Then three more monsters appeared on the scene. This proved to be too much for him, causing him to faint dead away.

The head of the Talbain Family angrily gestured to the devastation around them. The Orc had knocked down an entire grove's worth of trees and bushes, as well as leaving several large holes in the ground. "So you're telling me that you caused all this damage, just because you were chasing a little piece of bacon like this?!" He held up the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist for emphasis.

Cruk bowed down his head in shame. "Sorry."

Matthew's father shook his head tiredly, then reached behind his back and pulled out a cell phone. After pressing the autodial number, he paused for a moment, then spoke into the device.

"William?"

* * *

Back at the castle, the Head Butler answered.

"Yes Master Jon? What was that? Really? Cruk did all that for one little piglet? I see. Yes, I will have Clea and the other Wood Nymphs take care of the landscape first thing tomorrow. Yes? Oh, so you want the Head Chef to prepare four whole-roasted boars for Cruk? I shall give him the order, though he will be somewhat perturbed over having to cook a meal this late at night. I would imagine that he would be abed right now. Yes, I will inform him that he will receive an extra bonus in his next paycheck. Will that be all, Sir? What was that? An intruder? How is that possible? The patrol groups reported nothing and the surveillance systems show everything normal at the perimeter. Oh? I see. So the cause of the commotion is that the intruder is a Jusenkyo-cursed victim that turns into the piglet that Cruk was chasing. My word! I see. Very well, I will also call for Mr. O'Shea. Very good, my Lord. Good evening to you."

* * *

Jon nodded as he hung up on his cell phone, then addressed the Orc.

"Now listen up Cruk! You caused a lot of trouble tonight, but I know you didn't mean it. For now, I want you to go to the servants' entrance of the castle. Your dinner will be there for you. We'll talk about this later. Understood?"

Cruk nodded as he shuffled off toward the Talbain Estate. Matthew's father then turned to the teenage lycanthropes beside him, while gesturing to the still unconscious pig in his hand.

"So you two are saying that THIS is the imposter that is claiming to be Genma Saotome's er, my son?"

Nabiki nodded. "That's Ranma all right. I mean, that's the guy who says that he's Ranma er, Matthew uhm, well you what I mean. I still can't believe that he got so lost that he ended up here in England. So what are you going to do with him?"

"Same thing we do to anyone who stumbles onto this property and learns one of its secrets." Jon noted her apprehension and waved it off. "Now don't worry. All we're going to do is to make him forget this incident happened. If he ever remembers this, he'll think that it was just a dream."

"So you're going to have those witches you told me about cast some kind of spell?"

"The Grimbard Sisters? No, I'm afraid that manipulating memories isn't their forte. They specialize in illusions and charms. However, I do have an expert in the field from Ireland."

"So what is he? A leprechaun?"

"How did ye guess?"

Nabiki backpedaled frantically when she heard the voice, then her eyes widened in surprise as a tiny person, dressed in emerald green outfit, appeared sitting on Jon's right shoulder. The figure seemed to be no more than eight inches high, with curly, white hair and a small beard. He had a kind of chipper fellow, and in his right hand was a cane. He gave the surprised werewolf an apologetic smile, then stood up and tipped his hat to her.

"Top of the evenin' to ye, Miss. Sure as I didna mean to give you da willies. Shamus O'Shea at ye service." (8)

Matthew's father chuckled a bit as he continued with the introductions. "Shamus' clan, like many other supernatural races, happen to have a contract with the Talbains."

"Aye, that we do Jon. Ye clan did help mine own out of a very sticky situation some nine hundred or so years ago."

"What happened?" Matthew's girlfriend asked.

"Ah, ye wouldna believed that an entire leprechaun clan did lose all of its gold to some stinkin' ogres! Not a single pot left to me family. We woulda been doomed, were it not for Martin Talbain, Jon and Mathew's great-great-great and so forth grandfather! A good beastie man he was!"

"That's right." The older Talbain affirmed. "Leprechauns derive their magic from their pots of gold. That's the main reason why they guard them so fiercely. Our ancestor, Martin Talbain, discovered that in one of our silver mines, there was also a very large deposit of gold. After restoring their treasure and their powers, Shamus' clan swore to aid the Talbains with their faerie magic. They're quite good at tricking human minds." He then set 'Ranma' down on the ground and pointed to him. "Shamus, I'm afraid that he wandered into the forest and saw Cruk and us. I need his memory fogged up."

The tiny man chuckled a bit. "Surely ye must be joking, Jon! Why would ye be worried about the shenanigans of a wee little piggy like" He then stopped as he got a better look at the Lost Heir to the Saotome Anything Goes. "Ah! Now I be seein' what ye mean! Been many a year since I laid eyes on some poor lad who got cursed from Jusenkyo! I didna think many would be daft enough to go there! Jus' leave that wee little problem to me, why don't cha?"

Jon nodded as he set the piglet down on the ground. Shamus hopped down beside 'Ranma' and began weaving a spell with his cane. Amazingly, a small cloud of fog began appear above the black porker. The sudden chill caused the cursed heir to the Anything Goes to begin awakening. However, Shamus quickly whacked him on the head with his cane, knocking 'Ranma' out again.

When Nabiki gave Shamus a concerned look, the leprechaun waved her off. "Now, now. No need to go fussin' abou' it. This cursed lad will only wake with but a wee bump on the noggin. The fog I be stirrin' up will cloud his memories. To quote Shakespeare, to him it will be naught but a midsummer's night dream!"

* * *

Much later

"So you think 'Ranma' will remember anything?" The female werewolf asked as she followed the motions of the Talbains in their basic katas. The three of them were standing in another open clearing in the woods.

"Doubtful." Matthew replied as he and his father threw several dozen punches, which Nabiki followed with ease. "When Shamus uses that mystic fog of his, any recent memories that fake had will be just that a fog. When he comes to, he'll be back in Japan. The Grimbard Sisters sent him through one of the portals in the Makai. Of course, with his sense of direction, I can't guarantee that he'll return to the Tendo home any time soon."

"Are you sure that you want to leave things the way they are now? I mean, he's using your name."

"Yeah? So what? As far as I'm concerned, he can _HAVE_ the name of Ranma Saotome. It's given me nothing but grief and besides, I don't want that stupid panda man bugging me about that pledge to unite the Anything Goes. No offense to you or your family, mind you."

"None taken." Nabiki assured, though a small part of her, liked the idea of being engaged to Matthew. She put those thoughts away as she continued to focus on her training. Though she didn't realize it, her martial arts skills were steadily improving and her level was already above that of Akane's, even without her Secondary Lycanthropy.

* * *

The next day, in Japan

-_Where am I? Ow! How did I bump my head?_-

'Ranma' continued to rub the small welt on his head as he looked about. For the life of him, he couldn't remember the events of the day before. He could have sworn that as a piglet, he had gotten on a plane at the airport, but nothing further than that. Now he was in his human form and

"_AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!_"

The Lost Martial Artist then dove for cover as he realized that he was naked and standing near the public restrooms at the Tokyo Mall.

* * *

The day afterwards in London, England

Nabiki smiled as she and the Talbains entered into the huge theatre, and sat down in their private balcony seats. After spending an entire day of sightseeing and shopping, she was looking forward to enjoying the performance of the world-renowned, cat-themed acrobatic and dance troupe. Though the general populace believed that Felicia and her cohorts were simply talented performers in feline costumes, in reality, they were from an ancient race of beast humanoids known as Catwomen.

At that moment, just as the crowds took their seats and the theatre was filled to capacity, the lights began to dim and a spotlight cast its beam down toward the center of the stage. The curtains parted to reveal Felicia in all of her feline glory. She gave the applauding crowds a bow and made the introductions.

{"Good evening everyone, and it's great to be here in Merry Old England! I'm Felicia and we hope that you will enjoy our performance tonight! And now on with the show!"}

On cue, music began to play in the background and flashing lights appeared as several Catwomen came from the sides and strated displaying their catlike agility and balance, achieving incredible feats of acrobatics that would have put the Chinese Circus to shame. There were several rounds of oohs and ahhs from the audience as the feline females showed them the Catwoman-version of River Dance. Some of them even broke out in songs, forming a chorus line. With their shapely curves and sexy demeanor, they made the Rockettes look like old maids.

Throughout the show, Matthew kept a brave front, as he didn't want anyone to see how uncomfortable he was in the presence of so many cats. Though he didn't fear them, they still brought back bad memories. The sudden appearance of the false Ranma only strengthened his contempt for his former father, Genma Saotome.

* * *

After the main performance and three encores

"Jon! It's great to see you again!" Felicia said as they entered her dressing room. The Catwoman happily bounced toward Matthew's father and gave him an affectionate hug. The younger werewolves stood behind them.

"It's good to see you too, Felicia. An impressive show, as always."

After nuzzling his cheek, she then noticed the two teens behind him. She smiled as she released her embrace and walked over to them. "Matthew! Great to see you too!"

"Uh yeah... great" He said with hesitation. It had taken a _LOT_ of self-control and restraint after having to walk through the main dressing room of the Catwoman troupe in order to get to Felicia's private section. Several of the younger Catwomen had been giving him a look that was all-too-familiar. After all, he got the same looks from Shampoo and several Amazons back near Jusenkyo. Human girls he could handle, but getting lustful stares from catgirls was a different story altogether.

Felicia noted his apprehension then addressed his father. "Jon?"

The elder Talbain shrugged his shoulders at her unspoken question. "I'm still working on it. However, my son isn't the reason why we've come to see you."

"Oh right. You told me over the phone that you wanted to downgrade a person's Secondary Lycanthropy to tertiary levels, so she would only transform during a full moon." The feline performer looked back at the youngsters and addressed the girl beside Matthew. "I'm guessing that's you, right?" She sniffed the air around Nabiki and nodded. "Yep. You definitely got quite a bit of werewolf in you, Miss ?"

"I'm Nabiki Tendo. Pleased to meet you, Felicia." She held out here hand in which the feline star shook. As she was face-to-face with her, the middle Tendo girl could clearly see that her 'costume' was actually sparse patches of white fur, which covered her body like a skimpy bikini.

Felicia nodded in response to her greeting, then addressed Jon again. "I'm sorry Jon, but I'm afraid that I don't have the means to reduce her lycanthropy. In any case, trying to lower her werewolf traits now would be dangerous. She's already been infected with Secondary Lycanthropy for too long now. Her body would reject any attempts to lessen her werewolf powers."

Matthew's father nodded in understanding. "Hmmm. I was afraid of that. I suppose our little trip to China took too long. But you did say on the phone that you had something that could allow Miss Tendo to have better control over her transformations."

"That's right. I did." She then sat down and reached toward an ornamental box on her dresser-drawer. She opened the lid, and pulled out what looked like a medallion, or at least a part of a medallion on a chain. The fragment had a partial image of a wolf.

"What's that?" Matthew inquired.

"It's part of an ancient medallion that was broken into several pieces and scattered all over the Earth. My ancestors came across this fragment a few centuries back and it's been in the family since then. It was supposedly forged by some ancient spell caster, who was said to have been among the first of the werewolves. According to legend, if a human wears this, then he/she shall become a werewolf, without being bitten."

"So what you're saying is" Nabiki said as she caught on to Felicia's train of thought.

"What I'm saying is that since we can't downgrade your lycanthropy, then the only other option is to upgrade it, to Primary Lycanthropy. If you were to collect the other pieces of this medallion, then it is possible for you to become a _TRUE WEREWOLF!_"

To be continued

Author's Notes

Wow! That was a long chapter, but now that it's done, we are now going to begin a MAJOR story arc as our favorite werewolves will begin their world tour with plenty of Darkstalkers and guest stars. We'll also see the conclusion of the fight between Alucard and Alexander, plus the ominous approach of a major opponent. Stay tuned!

(1) In this story, Nabiki learned early on about Akane's lack of cooking ability.

(2) Grom the Gargoyle. His family forged Jacob Talbain's swords. Thanks Alex for the idea.

(3) Shinko the Kappa. Matthew's ancestor brought over a family of Kappas during the early 1800's, several years before Admiral Perry forced Japan to open up to the world.

(4) Kalesse the Undine. An idea from Alex. She helps in training members of the Talbain family in underwater fighting. When dry, her fish-half becomes human.

(5) One of the most hilarious special moves of Vampire Savior.

(6) The legendary spider-woman of Japan. Ever saw Wicked City?

(7) Witches from Salem Thanks Rictor.

(8) Shamus O'Shea the Leprechaun 


	13. Chapter 12: World Tour Part 1

**The Beast Within**

Disclaimer: All characters described in this story belong to their respective creators, so there!

' ': Thoughts  
{ }: English language

**Chapter 12**

**World Tour Part 1**

**The Quest Begins**

Nabiki Tendo, second daughter of Soun Tendo of the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, was currently in deep thought as she leaned over the railing. She was admiring the view from one of the balconies of Castle Talbain. She was also in her hybrid form, having taken off the enchanted pendant.

However, she didn't have any fear of others seeing her in her lycanthrope appearance. Every member of the human staff had sworn blood oaths never to reveal the secrets of the estate. There was also the fact that a good portion of the residents were nonhuman themselves. Additionally, the castle was well-secluded from prying eyes.

True to the seamstress Arana's word, the clothes Nabiki wore had adapted themselves to fit the girl's larger, more muscular and curved frame. The t-shirt she had put on had shrunk down to a kind of halter top which left her mid-section exposed. The slacks had become shorts with a hole in the back to allow her tail to sway. The shoes had become leather anklets.

As she continued to view the landscape, Kasumi and Akane's sister contemplated the discussion she had with Felicia two nights ago. And all things considered, it was possibly the only option she could take. She certainly couldn't go home the way she was now. Even with the enchanted pendants, it would only be a matter of time before her family found out that she was no longer human. She could almost hear her father blubbering how his little girl had become a monster.

Becoming a full-fledged werewolf was a big step and her life would be irrevocably changed. Then again, that would bring her much closer to Matthew, which was considered a plus. She would have full control over her powers and would only have to worry when the full moon was out. The Talbains had been able to live among human society for centuries, so why couldn't she?

She nodded as she made up her mind and went to see her boyfriend and his father.

* * *

That afternoon

"So you've decided to go after those other medallion pieces, huh?" Matthew asked as he and Nabiki sparred in the main courtyard. Both were in their human forms. The son of Jon Talbain was currently using a quarterstaff.

"Yeah, well I decided that since I'm already part-werewolf, I might as well get the full package." She replied as she threw some kicks. Her beau noted that her movements had gotten smoother and more fluid. Her skills had advanced in a short amount of time, validating Matthew's earlier judgment that Soun should have chosen her, rather than her younger sister, as the heir to the family style.

As he stabbed with one end of the staff toward her midsection, she twisted about and countered with her new weapon, a pair of wooden tonfa. She brought her right arm about and deflected the attack with the side of one of the instruments, then lashed out with her left arm to counter-attack. Matthew withdrew and blocked the strike with his staff.

After making her decision to become a full werewolf, Nabiki had also decided to begin weapons-training as well. Though her father and Genma scoffed at the idea of using weapons, their fighting style made them hypocrites, which made use of any and all advantages in battle. This included cheating and utilizing weapons if available. And after all that she had experienced so far, the short-haired girl had learned that there were some things that one did not want to touch with one's hands.

At first, she had thought that she could learn to use the nunchakus, but had decided that they really didn't suit her. Fortunately, the Talbain Wolf Fist style was highly adaptable, and the family armory had a wide selection that she could choose from. The werewolves were not limited to just the sword and chained clubs.

After experimenting with several different types of arms, she had eventually settled on the tonfa, which gave her both an increase in reach, striking and blocking ability. The side handles were also useful for hooking one's opponent. They were simple and could be used in a variety of ways. They were also easy to carry and hide. Matthew had later taught her the basics of the Hidden Weapons techniques.

At that moment, Jon Talbain appeared on the scene. He motioned the two to stop in their practice. Behind him was the catwoman Felicia.

"You two should get ready to go. The medallion piece has just shown us where to find the first section."

"Where's that, Dad?" Matthew inquired.

"A certain place called Stonehenge."

* * *

In the Conference Room of Castle Talbain

"So how does this thing work?" Nabiki asked as she, Jon, Matthew and Felicia sat around a large table in the middle of the room.

Matthew's father nodded as he displayed the medallion piece in his hand. On the table was a large, ancient map that depicted the world. The document was written in a long-forgotten dialect and had several rune symbols on it. He held up the fragment by its chain, and then held up a blue-colored piece of crystal in his other hand.

"This is a gemstone from the Makai known as a Luna Eye. Normally, the medallion fragment will only work under the light of the moon. However, this gem can mimic moonlight, and therefore"

Jon demonstrated by tilting the gem toward the piece. This caused the jewel to flash, which in turn made the artifact glow with an eerie aura. A beam of brilliant blue light shot forth from the piece and illuminated a certain spot on the map.

"So that's where we'll find the fragment?" Matthew asked.

"Yes." Jon answered. "We should get going right away." He rolled up the map and pocketed both the medallion piece and Luna Eye.

* * *

Later in Wiltshire, England

"Come on, Matthew! You've just got to take a picture of this!" Nabiki said excitedly as she climbed on top of one of the stone slabs. "My family would never believe I was here!"

The young werewolf shrugged his shoulders as he took out a small, digital camera, and snapped a photo of his girlfriend as she waved at him. She then lightly jumped down to the ground as Jon and Felicia motioned for them to follow them toward the center of the famous ruins. Currently it was near sundown, and the regular tours to the ruins had ended for the day, leaving only the four of them.

"Let's go you two! We're not here for just sight-seeing!" Jon called out.

Felicia nodded as she held up the broken medallion toward the stone slabs and sensed that the mystical energies were strongest toward the inner circle. The small group made their way around the various formations until their supernatural senses began to make them more on edge.

Nabiki felt a tingle down her spine as her lycanthrope abilities made her acutely aware of the magical fields surrounding her. She then asked Matthew, "Whoa! What exactly is this place supposed to be?"

"There are some theories that Stonehenge was used like some kind of calendar." Jon said. "Then there are some ideas that it was actually a place used for ancient sacrifices, or even as a burial ground."

"And of course, there are the more outrageous ideas, such as Stonehenge being an ancient beacon to signal alien spaceships." Jon's son shrugged again. "Well, actually no one's quite sure what Stonehenge was created for. This place was ancient even before the first Talbain became a werewolf. What we do know, at least in my family, is that it happens to be on top of a LOT of intersecting Ley Lines."

"Ley Lines?"

"That's right, Nabiki." Jon explained. "Ley Lines are described as the mystical channels in which all of the magic on Earth traverse. Stonehenge happens to be a very popular gathering spot for druids, witches and wizards, both in the past and present. In fact, we know of a couple of groups of magic-users who still use Stonehenge to this day."

Matthew shuddered a bit at his father's words. "Yeah, and there's one group of loonies which I hope we'll never see again."

"Who?" Nabiki inquired.

"I believe my son is referring to the Order of the Magisters." Matt's father explained. "They happen to be a very secretive group of wizards that were quite influential during the Dark Ages. However, their power began to decline when science and technology became more accepted by society. Instead of trying to adapt to the modern world, like our family, the wizards have this crazy idea about bringing a new Dark Age. Matthew and I ran afoul of them some three years ago." (1)

"Yeah." The younger werewolf agreed. "Dad and I accidentally stumbled onto one of their secret strongholds. They kept on accusing us of being spies and well, stuff happened."

"What kind of stuff?" Soun's daughter asked.

"Well, not really much. They tried to use their magic to destroy us, and we retaliated."

"What my son means, is that we brought their entire fortress down around their ears." Noting Nabiki's expression of disbelief, Matthew's sire quickly added, "Keep in mind that it was all self-defense. Anyways, we've got a medallion piece to find, and it's not like were going to encounter them again."

It was at that moment that the entire area started to glow with an eerie light. The werewolves and catwoman immediately went into defensive stances as their supernatural senses went into overdrive. Near the center of the ruins, a small, circular spot of energy appeared before them, and then started to grow in diameter. Jon immediately recognized it as a dimensional gate and signaled for the others to take cover.

Matt grabbed Nabiki's hand and pulled her toward a formation of stones. His father led Felicia to hide in the opposite direction. They all managed to get out of sight as the portal shimmered and the first of the newcomers stepped forward. They were dressed in dark, hooded robes, and were reciting ancient Latin phrases. When the son of Jon Talbain saw their insignia, he let off a groan.

"Oh no! Not these guys again!"

"Who are they?" Nabiki whispered.

"Magisters."

The two continued to watch as more and more members of the ancient order arrived through the portal. Soon, more than fifty people were crowding the innermost area of the famous ruins. One of the Magisters, most likely the leader of the group, raised a hand and chanted a few choice words in Latin. This caused a bright strobe of light to appear, gaining the attention of his brethren. Once they turned to face him, he lowered his hood and revealed an old, grizzled face with a thin, gray beard. With a low, but commanding tone, he spoke

{"My Brother Magisters tonight marketh the beginning of our greatest triumph! Thy loathsome modern world shall be smoten, and a new Dark Age shall cometh, in which we shall once again taketh our rightful place as rulers of all!"}

* * *

"Marketh? Cometh? Smoten? These guys sound like Kuno." Matthew's girlfriend remarked quietly, and then shuddered at the thought of the wannabe-samurai.

"Like I said, these people haven't changed since before the Renaissance Era. Though I am kind of wondering how they intend to bring about a new Dark Age. They may know some spells, but they don't have anywhere near enough power to do something like that."

It was at that moment that the leader held up and ornamental box.

{"_BEHOLD! THE KEY TO OUR RETURN TO ABSOLUTE POWER!"_}

* * *

From their hiding spots, Felicia and Jon also observed the ceremony.

"What do you think is in that box?" The feline performer wondered.

"Nothing good, that's for sure." The werewolf replied, and then noticed a light emanating from his pants' pocket. Reaching into it, he withdrew the medallion fragment and was surprised to see it glowing.

'_What's going on? I thought this thing didn't activate unless struck by moonlight or if another fragment is nearby_' He looked back at the ceremony and almost gasped out loud as the wizard opened the box and displayed its contents.

It was one of the pieces of the medallion.

'_You've got to be kidding! The Magisters have a piece of the medallion we've been looking for?_'

Unfortunately, Jon was not the only one who noticed that the piece was glowing. The leader of the Magisters then saw the flash emanating in their direction and cried out.

{"_INTERLOPERS! THEY HAVE SEENETH TOO MUCH! YON KNAVES MUST BE SMOTEN!_"}

In an instant, the wizards turned to attack Matthew's father and his feline friend.

* * *

From their hiding place, Matthew and Nabiki deployed their own weapons and leapt into the fray. Instead of his usual nunchakus, Jon's son pulled out a pair of sai. For his girlfriend, this would be the first fight with her new tonfa. He motioned her to follow him and stay close.

The Magisters began chanting some battle spells as they threw forth balls of eldritch energies at their foes. Some decided for the more direct approach as they charged with clubs and swords. However, since the area was very crowded, the werewolves and the catwoman had the advantage in close-quarters combat.

Felicia let off a growl as she curled up into a ball and rolled along the ground like a high-speed bowling ball. Several of the Magisters were knocked down like tenpins. She then leapt upwards with claws bared, slashing several more in the process.

{" 'Tis some demonic cat demon! Destroyeth the accursed devil spawn!"}

{"Devil spawn?"} Felicia cried out, clearly insulted. {"I'll have you know that in Las Vegas, Caesar's Palace wants to book my show for a month!"}

Behind her, Jon brought out his nunchakus and fought off several of his foes. He had to move carefully as he didn't want the ruins of Stonehenge to be damaged in the ensuing fight. Also, there was no telling how the spells of Magisters would affect the network of Ley Lines.

Fighting nearby, Matthew blocked a sword slash with one of his sai, and then kicked out with a foot, tripping his attacker. Taking a quick glance behind him, he checked to see if Nabiki needed any help.

"_EEEYYYAAAAAHHHH!_"

_**WHA-BOOM!**_

As a Magister went sailing overhead from her kick, it was apparent that she didn't need much in the way of assistance.

Though she was still a beginner by Talbain standards, Nabiki's enhanced strength, speed and new weapons made her good enough to defeat the Horde of Hentai in far less time than Akane. Her moves were more refined and didn't waste as much motion as her younger sister. It also helped that the wizards were not experts in hand-to-hand combat and were attacking in a disorganized mob. Nabiki had some practice against her honorary Amazon sister Shampoo for a few days. In fact, Matthew estimated that the middle Tendo daughter currently had just enough skill to defeat Kuno. He winced slightly as he saw a Magister go down after receiving a hard whack from one of her tonfa.

* * *

The leader of the Magisters shook his head in disgust as he saw how badly his side was faring. Though they outnumbered the intruders five to one, they were on the verge of being overwhelmed. He then saw that a trio of Magisters fire off a volley of fireballs at Matthew, who easily dodged the attacks. The resulting blasts caused some considerable damage to the ruins. The wizard leader groaned as he too did not want anything destroyed. He waved off to the three.

{"Bah! Ye doeth more harm than good!"}

At that point, he noticed that one of the intruders was getting pushed back by the sheer number of foes. Seeing that she was most likely the weakest of the four, he decided that she would the instrument to end this fight in his favor. Chanting a small incantation, he threw forth a hand and large fireball streaked toward his target.

* * *

Nabiki let off a cry of pain as the magical projectile struck her from behind. As a result, she dropped her tonfa and was immediately dog-piled by at least six Magisters. Two of them managed to grab hold of her arms and she saw something shiny and deadly near her throat. Normally, she would have shook off them off with her lycanthrope strength, but the magical attack had left her dizzy and off-balance.

"_NABS!_"

The entire melee stopped with Matthew's shout. Felicia and Jon also ceased fighting as they saw Nabiki being held hostage, with a Magister's ceremonial blade near her jugular. A ceremonial knife made of silver.

The lead Magister smirked in triumph and said, {"Thou will lay downeth thine arms and surrender, if you doth value her life!"}

There was a long silence as the Talbains and Felicia considered their options. Then finally, Jon nodded to his son and dropped his nunchakus to the ground. Matthew followed suit with his sai. In that instant, they too were captured.

* * *

Later

Nabiki struggled against her bonds, as she, Felicia, Matthew and Jon had been tied up against a large column of stone. Despite being stronger than a normal human, she was unable to snap the ropes. If she wasn't wearing her enchanted pendant, she was certain that her hybrid form would have no trouble.

Matthew shook his head to her attempts and whispered to her. "Don't bother Nabs. I think these ropes have been enchanted. I can't break these things either and I think they're preventing me from transforming."

"Good guess, son." Jon concurred. "These ropes may have some Mythril woven into their fibers." He glanced over to Felicia. "Any luck?"

The feline performer strained around her back, then shook her head and whispered back. "I've been trying to cut through with my claws, but my hands are tied at a bad angle. I just got my right pinky working on them. I'm glad I didn't have my manicure done tonight."

It was at that time that the leader of the Magisters and his followers approached them. Several other members began taking positions around the circle of stone slabs and began working their magic. Soon the entire area was surrounded by a ring of mystical energy.

The old wizard pointed an accusing finger at Jon. "{Denyeth it no further! Thou wast intending to interfereth with the Magisters!"}

{"To be honest, I didn't think you people were still around, let alone know what you were planning to do here."} Jon admitted. {"We were actually looking for that medallion piece you got there."}

The leader snorted as he held up the object in question, and then held up the piece that he had taken from Matthew's father. {"And I thanketh ye for bringing us the means to hasten our greatest triumph! Since ye already knoweth too much, I shalt revealeth to ye, what no man knows the true purpose of Stonehenge!"}

{"And WHAT might that be?"} Jon inquired as he continued to struggle with his bonds. However, unknown to his captors, his movements had a secret purpose. Tucked in its case on his belt was his cell phone. He managed to activate it, which dialed a certain number. As a result, a very important person received the signal and began listening in on the conversation.

Not knowing that he was revealing his plans to more outsiders, the Magister Elder continued to boast. {"We Magisters have discovered it to be a magical weapon of _MASS DESTRUCTION!_ However, we lacketh the key in order to use it until now!"}

At that point, the Magisters surrounding the ruins began to chant even more vigorously. The leader then placed the two medallion fragment onto an ornate pedestal. They both started to glow with the same magical aura.

{"With these artifacts, the spell we conjureth shalt bring forth a massive blast, which will broil yon London town! With each attack, we shalt destroyeth every major city, plunging the world into a new Dark Age, where we shalt rule, once more!"}

There was a long pause as his words were being digested, then Matthew let of a snort of disdain at the so-called master plan.

{"Geez, you guys are even loonier than the last time! Stonehenge is a weapon of mass destruction? Have you guys been drinking sour mead or something?"}

{"You dare to mocketh us?"}

{"Tch. What was your first clue? You accuse us of knowing too much, but I think it's more like _YOU DON'T KNOW ENOUGH!_"}

* * *

As Matthew continued to taunt the Magister Elder, Felicia looked about at what was happening. She noted that the wizards were so intent on completing the spell, that they didn't seem to noticing anything else around them. That included a very large shadow that was approaching them from the far end of the ring of slabs. That shadow, and its scent was familiar. The catwoman turned to Jon and gave him a knowing smile. Matthew's father nodded and smiled back at her.

{"_SILENCE**!**_"} The Magister leader roared. {"Thy insolent tongue shalt be stilled this night! Once the spell is complete, thy doom shalt be certain! Doust thou have any last words?"}

{"I've got something to say!"} Felicia said out loud.

The Magister gave the feline woman a snort of disdain. {"And what would the demon spawn like to sayeth?"}

{"Just this _GO GET 'EM VICTOR!_"}

_**BOOM!**_

As if on cue, nearly nine feet of reanimated human parts smashed through the mystic circle.

* * *

Flashback to three hours ago, just a mile from Stonehenge

"You and Emily stay here with the van, while I go with Jon and the others. Okay?" Felicia instructed. Along with the Gerdenheim siblings were two of her catwoman co-workers.

"Okay." The large, electrically-driven golem nodded.

"How long will you be gone?" Emily asked.

Felicia shrugged her shoulders. "Not really sure. We might find the medallion piece right away, or it could take hours. Tell you what. If we're not back in about three hours from now, you can come get us. There won't be any tourists around so you won't have to worry about anyone seeing you. Is that all right with you?"

"Okay. Victor will find in three hours."

* * *

End of flashback

At this point, Felicia and the others were very grateful for Victor's timely arrival as he bulldozed his way toward his employer. The Magisters were knocked down like dominoes as Victor smashed anyone who got in his way. Several volleys of fireballs struck him, but they were as effective as cotton balls. Emily's brother let out a roar then raised a massive fist above his head before slamming it down. Upon impact, he sent a massive amount of voltage through the ground, and shocked several of his foes into unconsciousness.

Back at the column, Felicia let off a cry of triumph as she finally cut through one of the ropes that bound her hands. With her right hand free and her claws bared, she quickly made short work of the remaining bands. Once released, the Talbains and Nabiki swept up their weapons, which had been discarded to the side when they had been captured. Not wanting to take any more chances, they all shifted to their hybrid forms and leapt into the fray to aid their rescuer.

On the pedestal, the two medallion pieces glowed even brighter as the spell was nearing its completion.

* * *

"_DRAGON CANNON!_"

A blast of ki and magic laid down several more Magisters and gave Victor some elbow room. The big golem nodded his thanks to Matthew's father as he continued to fight. Soon the conflict moved outside the ring of slabs and into the open.

However as the battle raged on, the Magisters who surrounded Stonehenge in a mystic ring were close to finishing the spell. The center of the ruins was enveloped in a blinding bright light. Nabiki noticed the event and called out to Jon's son, just as she was slamming another of their foes to the ground.

"_MATT!_"

The younger Talbain nodded as he charged in and knocked out three of the wizards. On the other side, Felicia took out four more. Without them to sustain the magical field, the ring of power began to falter.

{"_NO! YON SPELL MUST BE FINISHED!_"}

With these words, the lead Magister focused all of his power and projected one massive blast into the center of the ruins. This caused Stonehenge to let off a titanic beam of light, which it shot straight into the sky. Everyone looked up at sight, while the villain let off a shout of triumph and waited for the utter destruction of London.

And waited and waited and waited

There was a long stretch of silence as both sides stopped in total disbelief. Finally, the Magister Elder spoke.

{"London town be not destroyeth? Then what dost this Stonehenge doeth?"} (2)

Matthew also stared up at the sky, and then he said. "Wow. I guess it really is a beacon for UFOs."

At that moment, several bands of armed men appeared around the ruins and surrounded the Magisters. They were all dressed in black uniforms and sported the insignia of the Hellsing Organization. These men belonged to the branch that operated in Europe.

Jon smiled as he took out his cell phone and called the special number that Sir Integra had given to him before he had left Japan.

* * *

Later

As they group rode back to Talbain Castle in the van, they discussed the night's events.

"So what's going to happen to the Order of the Magisters?" Nabiki asked.

"Sir Integra and the Hellsing Organization will make certain that they will never trouble anyone ever again." Jon assured as he held up the two medallion pieces. The artifacts immediately joined into one larger piece, then glowed in unison. "In any case, we got what we came for and it's time to see where to find the next piece of this puzzle." He then brought the unified fragment toward the window of the van and let the moonlight shine upon it. Immediately, it let off a beam of light which illuminated a spot on the map, then faded away.

Matthew's father nodded as he declared their next destination. "Pack your bags for our next stop Paris, France."

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere out in space

The beam of light that Stonehenge had emitted continued to streak out into the void of space. Unknown to all those involved, the medallion had another function than just the ability to turn Nabiki into a full werewolf. Encoded in its beam was a hidden alien code, which only one being in the cosmos would receive. It was a signal for the most malevolent being in the entire universe. He was known by many names, such as the Bringer of Extinction, the Eater of Worlds and the Ultimate Destroyer.

Pyron.

To be continued

Author's Notes

That takes care of Part One of the World Tour story arc. As for the appearance of Pyron and the other Darkstalkers, well stay tuned. I'm just getting started!

(1)I got this idea from an episode of _**Jackie Chan Adventures**_.

(2) Couldn't resist this phrase from the above episode of _ **Jackie Chan Adventures**_. 


	14. Chapter 13: World Tour Part 2

**The Beast Within**

Disclaimer: By now you know the routine. Everything and everyone mentioned in this story isn't mine, but I wish they were.

[ ]: French Language  
{ }: English Language  
' ': Thoughts

**Chapter 13**

**World Tour Part 2**

**Gathering of Fighters**

In Japan, two days after the Stonehenge incident

Kasumi smiled as she looked over the picture of Nabiki at the ancient ruins of Stonehenge. She also held in her hand the letter that her sister had sent. Nearby, Soun was hard at work, trying to keep Genma's nonstop growing hair from over-running the Tendo Compound. It hadn't stopped growing ever since his friend had dumped the contents of the Miracle Hair Grow Shampoo on his head. It had gotten to the point that scissors, electric razors, and even a katana blade couldn't keep it in check. The head of the Tendo household started to think about using a lawn mower. Beside him, Akane growled as she brushed out the hairs in her training gi.

At that point, Kasumi began to read the letter.

_To my family,_

_How are things going in Japan? I hope everyone is all right. I'm doing fine. I hope you are all enjoying the gifts I sent you. Oh, and I just recalled something. Remember that Miracle Hair Grow Shampoo that Mr. Saotome wanted? My friend from that Chinese Amazon Village had told me about the side-effects when she gave it to me, especially for Jusenkyo-cursed victims. I hope Mr. Saotome read that Japanese translation and didn't dump all of the contents onto his head. According to what Shampoo told me, all his remaining hair follicles won't stop growing for about a month._

Genma moaned and shook his head, while grumbling. "_NOW_ she tells us!"

Kasumi read on.

_If you happen to be buried under a thick carpet of hair, Shampoo did tell me how to stop it from growing. Apparently, the Miracle Grow formula's effects can be reversed by bathing the victim in a special mixture of various ingredients for about a day. With this letter I've provided you a list and the instructions on how to make the Anti-Hair Grow formula. You'll also find the ingredients in the crate I sent to you. _

Akane walked over to the crate the postmen had left and opened the wooden container. She then took out several bottles and containers. Her expression soured as she read the labels.

"Skunk oil concentrate of poison ivy bat saliva yak hair Chinese monkey fingernails ewwwww, where did Nabiki _GET_ all this stuff?"

Her elder sister nodded as she continued to read.

_You'd be surprised what one can get when you happen to be friends with a rich family like the Talbanes. In any case, I hope this helps. I also sent some souvenirs from England, and now I'm heading to Paris, France! I'm already saying "Ooh la-la!" Matt's father wants me to experience some French martial arts like Savate. I'll see if I can get some of that French wine that Dad always wanted to try. _

Soun perked up at the thought of tasting European alcohol. Sake was good, but he had always wanted to sample those beverages from the West. After a moment of dreaming of imbibing French wine, he went back to cutting down Genma's hair.

_As always, I love you all and I hope to see you again. _

_Nabiki_

At that point, Akane went over to Kasumi and took the recipe for the Anti-Hair Grow Formula. She read over the instructions and smiled.

"This is an easy formula! I could make this stuff up, no sweat! Leave it to me!"

The rest of the Tendo family and Genma turned pale at her announcement as she went off to get some cooking pots and equipment. Kasumi looked down at the letter and read the last part

_P.S. Kasumi, please do _NOT_ let Akane try to mix the formula. Even Shampoo and her great-grandmother aren't sure what the side-effects will be if she makes it wrong._

* * *

In Paris, France

"Ooh! What does this say?" Nabiki asked as she held up a bottle of red liquid in a local wine shop.

Matthew nodded as he knew how to read French. "It says Chateau Basque year 1973."

"That's a good year." Jon concurred as he selected three more bottles of fine liquor and paid for them. After making the arrangements to have the wine delivered to the Tendo Dojo, the group left the store and headed out toward the Eiffel Tower. As they walked down the streets of Paris, they discussed what they planned to do in their search for the next medallion piece.

"It's a shame that Felicia and her group couldn't come with us." Nabiki remarked.

Matthew's father nodded. "Yes, well her show had already toured Paris last month, and then they got that message from Las Vegas"

* * *

Flashback

"Can you believe it? Caesar's Palace is actually offering TEN TIMES as much for us to do our show for a month." Felicia said as she and her troupe prepared to head out overseas to the United States.

"Congratulations, Felicia." Jon said as he and his son were saying their goodbyes to the catwomen and the Gerdenheim siblings. "So you'll be gone for the next month?"

"Not really. I agreed to a two-week contract. Say, why don't you and your son join us?" The sexy catgirl walked up seductively to the elder werewolf, then traced a finger on his well-muscled chest. "I'm pretty sure I can work a couple of werewolves into the act." She then leaned forward and whispered intimately in his ear. "And I know of some _VERY_ nice places in Vegas we can visit afterwards."

Matthew's sire cleared his throat and said in a polite tone, "Sorry Felicia. I'm afraid that finding the other pieces of the medallion takes priority. Thanks for the offer though."

"Awwwww!" The feline female pouted. She then sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I suppose you have to help that Tendo girl. But keep me updated on your quest, okay? Maybe, we'll run into each other again soon."

* * *

End of flashback

"In any case, we still have about 11 more pieces to go." Jon remarked as he held up the incomplete medallion. "According to the legend, this was broken up into 13 pieces and scattered all over the Earth."

"So why was the medallion broken, and spread over the world?" His son asked.

"Hard to say, really. The legend gets fuzzy over the reason."

It was at that moment that the trio noticed a large crowd that was surrounding a ring. In the ring were two fighters. One was a huge Frenchman, using the martial art known as Savate. He wore hard, rubber shoes, loose pants and was bare-chested.

His opponent had long, blonde hair tied in a stylish ponytail. He was wearing a red, baseball cap with a metal plate, a sleeveless red jacket with a large star on the back, fingerless leather gloves, blue jeans and high-top shoes. He was lean, but muscled and was obviously American. He gave his foe a friendly smile and dared him to attack.

The Talbains and Nabiki stopped to watch the spectacle and Matthew pointed to the American fighter.

"Hey, don't we know that guy?"

Jon Tabain chuckled and nodded. "Indeed we do son, indeed we do. And he's not the only one." He gestured to two other people who were standing beside the ring. One was a blonde man who was wearing a kind of sleeveless tunic, matching pants and ninja tabi shoes. Hanging lovingly on his arm was a voluptuous, large-breasted woman with long, red hair done in a topknot, ponytail. She was dressed in a simple ensemble of blouse, skirt and low-heeled pumps.

"Come on son. It's time for the Talbain Wolves to meet with the Hungry Wolves again."

* * *

Back in Japan

"Akane, please! Let me make the Anti-Hair Grow formula." Kasumi pleaded as she watched her younger sibling stir the brew in the kitchen.

"I can do this!" The stubborn girl insisted as she haphazardly added the ingredients to the pot. She had already added several dubious foodstuffs that weren't on the list. After barely glancing at the recipe, she looked about the table for the next component to the formula. "Hmmm I don't see any of the powdered butterfly wings. Oh well, this powdered sugar should do fine."

"Akane!" The elder sister pointed to the correct ingredient that was on the edge of the table. She would have rushed in to stop her; however the fumes that were emanating from the pot were so noxious that she couldn't get past the kitchen doorway.

Behind Kasumi, Soun and Genma cowered in absolute terror as they too had serious misgivings to letting Akane make the formula.

Then Akane proudly turned up the heat on the stove and said, "Now the recipe says to add one teaspoon of this secret ingredient. That doesn't sound like it would be enough. It would be better if I just use all of it." With that, she dumped the entire contents of the bottle into the pot. This made the brew begin to violently bubble and give off sparks.

At that point, Kasumi, Soun and Genma ran for cover. However, since the father of 'Ranma' was still under the effect of the Miracle Hair Grow Shampoo, he tripped over his ever-lengthening beard, causing him to fall flat on his face. He also knocked into Soun, causing him to trip as well. Only Kasumi managed to get far enough away before

_**KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**_

The entire Tendo compound shook violently as the explosion sent a fireball through the halls. Kasumi shut herself inside a broom closet and was thus spared from the blast. Her family and their houseguest however, were not as fortunate.

When she finally emerged from the closet, Soun's eldest child was horrified at what she saw. The walls of her home were blackened and smoking. There was a pungent smell of burned wood, leather and fabric. Then she walked over to the kitchen and saw three figures sprawled on the floor. She breathed out a sigh of relief as they moaned and groaned, indicating that they had survived. And there was some good news.

The good news was that ensuing fireball had seared off all the hair on Genma's body, and gave him some impressive burns, thereby preventing his hair follicles from growing any more.

The bad news however, was that the blast had burned off Soun and Akane's hair as well. The kitchen was in shambles and when Kasumi sniffed about, she discovered the second effect of her sister's concoction.

"_EEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWW!_"

* * *

Later at Dr. Tofu's clinic

"What is that _SMELL_ coming from the waiting room?" The good physician and shiatsu master said as he held his nose. The odor was so overpowering, that he felt none of the Kasumi-itis with her in the office. In the waiting room, were Genma, Soun and Akane. The other patients immediately left the clinic once they got a whiff of the stench that clung to them.

"So do you smell rotten eggs and sakura petals?" The brown-haired girl asked. (1)

"Actually, I smell ginseng tea with sulfur." Dr. Tofu replied.

"That's strange. One of the patients swore he smelled okonomiyaki and burning truck tires. Another one said that Akane, Father and Mr. Saotome smelled like rotting fish heads and gumballs."

"What exactly happened?"

Akane's sister paused for a moment to collect her thoughts, and then she replied, "Well, it all started when we received a package from Nabiki"

Ten minutes later, after finishing with her tale, Kasumi handed Tofu the recipe for the Anti-Hair Grow formula. He looked over the ingredients and nodded before addressing her again.

"This is a Chinese Amazon potion. It's very ancient, but it's an effective antidote to the Miracle Hair Grow Shampoo. I happen to have the same recipe in my files. However, you must mix this very carefully and in the correct proportions. Too much or too little of even one ingredient can be disastrous. Adding other ingredients is just as hazardous. And from what you just told me, Akane didn't follow the instructions properly."

Soun's daughter nodded sadly. "Unfortunately, Akane becomes over-enthusiastic whenever she tries to cook. However, she becomes very careless as well."

"Yes, I thought as much. And from what I can gather, she produced some kind of potion which caused her, Mr. Tendo and Mr. Saotome to give off an odor that varies from person to person. That's why everyone is reporting a different combination of liked and disliked smells."

"Oh my! Is there any way that you can get rid of the odor? They've already taken three baths each, and they still smell!"

"Unfortunately, I can't prescribe any remedies until I know exactly what Akane put in that potion and in what proportion. If it was just the skunk oil, then I would have simply had them soak in tomato juice and peroxide. I'm afraid that they'll just have to wait until I can research the proper antidote or until that scent wears off. Until then, I would suggest that they stay downwind from any populated areas. I'm going to need to fumigate my clinic after today."

Kasumi could only shake her head in disbelief and made a note to purchase a _LOT_ of air fresheners for the house.

* * *

"_CRACK SHOT!_"

Terry Bogard swung his right leg in a vertical arc, which connected solidly with his opponent's temple. This caused the French fighter to hit the floor of the ring. When it was obvious to everyone that he wasn't getting up anytime soon, the referee declared the American the winner. Andy's brother gave his signature victory pose by tossing up his cap into the air and cried out.

"_OKAY!_"

A pair of medics came in to check in on the fallen Savate expert. After signaling to the judge, they carried the man out of the ring. The announcer then said in French, ["Monsieur Terry Bogard wins again, demonstrating why he is such a great champion in America. Is there no one else who wishes to challenge him?"]

At that moment, a certain figure leapt from the crowds and landed lightly in the ring. Everyone, including the one who defeated Geese Howard, was surprised at the sudden appearance of a tall, slender, dark-skinned girl with short, white hair. She had a cute appearance and seemed to move with a subtle grace. She was dressed in a simple outfit of slacks, t-shirt and sneakers. She gave everybody a friendly wave and spoke in English.

{"I will challenge you!"}

Terry smiled at her enthusiasm and responded. {"You're very direct. I like that. You sure you want to do this? This contest only allows you to attack with just your legs. You can block, but no hand strikes."}

{"That's fine with me! I never use my fists! I thank nature for my strong, flexible legs!"}

Using a fancy twirling maneuver, she shed her civilian clothes and was instantly garbed in a kind of ceremonial bikini, and was barefoot. There were several whistles of appreciation from many of the male spectators, as she displayed a lithe figure with lean, muscular legs. She got into a crouching stance on the balls of her feet.

{"I am Elena, and it is a pleasure to fight you, Mr. Bogard!"}

The Hungry Wolf nodded as he assessed her fighting stance and movements. {"Capoeira-style eh? This could be interesting."} He then got into his basic stance and waited for the bell to ring.

* * *

"Capoeira-style?" Nabiki asked.

Jon nodded as he explained. He had been all set to enter the ring to challenge his old acquaintance, but Elena had beaten him to the punch. "Capoeira is a fighting style that has its origins in Brazil and Africa. This Elena person is obviously from Africa, and judging by her wardrobe, I'd say she's from Nairobi. Capoeria focuses mostly on kicks, sweeps and evasive tactics. It's said that it evolved from ceremonial dancing moves."

"Do you think she has a chance against Terry Bogard?" Matthew inquired.

"Let's just wait and see."

At that point, the bell rang signifying the start of the match.

* * *

Meanwhile in Nerima

"There's no more Miracle Grow Hair Shampoo?" Genma exclaimed.

Kasumi shook her head while keeping her distance from the smelly houseguest. "I'm sorry Mr. Saotome. Dr. Tofu only had enough in stock for my father and sister." '_And I thought you had learned your lesson from the last time._' She silently added to herself.

At that moment, Soun and Akane entered the room, both with their hair restored.

"Whew! It's a good thing Dr. Tofu had a supply of that shampoo. The smell I could probably live with, but there's no way I could go to school bald." Akane remarked.

Genma growled as he looked upon his old friend, who had not only a full head of hair again, but had gotten his mustache back as well. Not only was the Saotome patriarch still bald, but he would have to wait a long time for his eyebrows and the rest of his body hair to grow back naturally. It was then that the front door opened and 'Ranma' entered the house.

"Whew! I finally found my way back!" The false heir to the Saotome School remarked, and then he caught a whiff of a strange odor. "Yuck! What's that smell?" His nose pinpointed the source of the stench and said without any subtlety, "Akane, why do you smell like raw sewage and potpourri?"

The automatic response to his comment was of course

"_RANMA NO BAKA!_"

_**CRASH!**_

'Ranma' was then shot into LEO via Akane's rage, where he promptly got lost again, after he landed some distance away. The short-tempered girl smiled in satisfaction, then sniffed the air around her. Even though she knew that it wouldn't do any good, she decided to take another bath,. Just to relax from the tension of course. It wasn't because she happened to smell like roses and wet water buffaloes.

* * *

In France.

Terry Bogard knew that he was in trouble as his opponent kicked and danced about him. Elena's fighting style allowed her to move with impressive speed and agility. She wasn't a power-hitter, but her quick strikes were starting to add up. He was at a very big disadvantage without the use of his fists. Her long, tanned legs gave his opponent an extended reach. Then she suddenly glowed with a bright aura and shouted out.

"_BRAVE DANCE!_"

'_Oh boy, this is gonna hurt!_'

In an instant, Elena began delivering a flurry of kicks and knee strikes in a graceful symphony of movements, all while standing on her hands. To all those who watched, it was as if it really was a dance. Terry managed to block most of the blows, but the attack pushed him back toward the edge of the ring. He knew he had to do something. Then he saw his opening as she tensed on her hands, about to push off and strike with her legs at full force.

The Hungry Wolf ducked down and struck out with a sweep kick. His foot connected with her wrists, knocking her off-balance and throwing off her rhythm. Then he pushed off with his own hands and went shooting upward inverted.

"_RISING TACKLE!_"

The extended foot caught Elena in the midsection, sending her sprawling. Unlike his usual technique, Terry did not lash with his fists as he went spinning upward, since the contest did not allow for hand strikes. As he came down, he caught sight of his opponent as she struggled to get to her feet. Knowing that this was his chance, he swung his left foot in a wide arc while spinning his body about.

"_CRACK SHOT!_"

The glowing foot caught the African girl in solar plexus, knocking her out of the ring. She landed roughly on the ground, but got back up. Since she had been forced out of the ring, she was automatically disqualified, leaving Terry as the victor. She acknowledged her defeat with a wave and a smile.

There was a large round of applause as Terry was declared the winner for beating ten opponents in a row. As he waved to his fans, Terry locked eyes with another 'wolf' fighter.

Jon Talbain.

* * *

Later

"So you're here for a fighting tournament?" Jon asked as he and his group joined the Bogards, Mai Shiranui and Elena for lunch at a French caf. Matthew's father and the Elder Bogard Brother were sitting at a small table while the others conversed at a larger one.

"The French are holding their version of the King of Fighters competition." Terry replied. "I got an invitation to participate. Personally I don't care much about the prize money, but I heard that there were some strong fighters here, and you know me. I'm always looking for a challenge. That little contest you were watching was just one of the practice rounds they allow for the competitors to warm up before the main contest begins tomorrow."

"I see. Are your brother and his girlfriend competing as well?"

"Yes, they both received invitations."

"Where's Joe? Didn't he get an invite?" (2)

"Actually he did, but he had to turn it down. He has several matches coming up and it's his obligation to defend his title as the Muay Thai Champion."

"I see. So it's just you, your brother and Mai then?"

"That's right. There's also another reason why Andy and Mai came to France with me. You see, they're getting married soon."

"Ahhh." Jon nodded knowingly. "So I take it Mai finally got him to pop the question."

Terry chuckled a bit. "Yes. Mai wants to wear a western-style wedding dress and there happens to be a famous dressmaker here in Paris." The American then added in a low whisper. "I think she also wants to pick up some French lingerie you know, for _AFTER_ the ceremony?" He gave his friend a sly wink.

"No need to explain any further on that part." Matthew's father chuckled again. "Although, I am a little surprised at this news. I've always thought Andy was too conservative around Mai. What made him decide to finally tie the knot?"

Terry grinned even further before explaining. "I'm not too sure of the details, but from what I can gather, Mai finally cornered my brother at this hotel and well, there's no way I can say this with any subtlety, but she uhm."

"Seduced him?" Jon supplied.

"_THAT_ would be the understatement of the century. Judging from what the hotel manager told me, they didn't check out of that room until FIVE days later. Afterwards, Mai told me that she owes a lot of thanks to a pen pal of hers. She says her pen pal gave her some very helpful tips on breaking down Andy's resistance to expressing his feelings for her. After that time, Andy tells me that it's almost impossible for them to keep their hands off each other, and they've been doing the 'deed' nearly every night."

"A pen pal made suggestions to Mai on how to seduce Andy?"

"I was told it was someone from Scotland. Mai calls her 'Morry,' but I think her full name was Morrigan Aenslade."

Jon could only stare in total disbelief for a long while, making his friend somewhat confused. Finally, he started to chuckle and chortle at the irony, and then he burst out into laughter.

"What's so funny?" The Hungry Wolf asked.

* * *

In Japan

"Well now, this is a surprise." The succubus in question remarked as she looked over her e-mails. Like the Talbains, the Aenslade Clan had several connections to the human world, which included a private mansion in Japan. The green-haired, supernatural beauty smiled mischievously, as she read the message sent to her from her pen pal, Mai Shiranui.

'_So the little ninja girl finally snared him. Good for her! I knew those pointers I sent to her would come in handy. She had all the goods, but didn't know how to present them properly. Ah, it looks like I have an invitation to her wedding. Excellent! I'd like to meet this Andy Bogard and his brother. From what Mai told me, he's almost as delectable as her fianc._'

At that moment, Morrigan's daughter entered the house and took off her shoes.

"I'm home!"

The older succubus nodded as she signed off on her computer and went to meet with the slender youth. Giving her child a warm hug, she asked, "Welcome home, dear. How was your day?"

Lilith shrugged as she replied, "Fine, Mother. Although something strange did happen near the Nerima district."

"Oh? What was it?"

"I'm not really sure. I was just flying past someone's home, and it suddenly began emitting low levels of magic. Then there was this explosion, which caused the house to shake. Then I started smelling something _REALLY_ foul! It was even more disgusting than anything I've ever smelled in the rankest, slimiest pits of the Makai!"

"Foul you say? I can't believe that you actually came across a stench that could be worse than what we've encountered."

"I'm telling you the truth! I swear I smelled a combination of ogre dung and lilies!"

* * *

In France

"It's a pity that you didn't get an invitation to this competition." Terry said. "We never did get to finish that match of ours three years ago. I would have liked to see how much stronger you've gotten since then. I can sense you've improved a lot."

The werewolf nodded. "I wanted to fight you as well, but Elena beat me to it. Perhaps another time. My son and I happen to be on a bit of quest and"

_**BZZZT! BZZZT!**_

Jon stopped as his cell phone buzzed on his belt. Taking it out of its case, he excused himself from his friend, and walked over to a secluded corner of the caf. He then flipped the device open.

"Hello?"

On the other line, William Dubroke smiled as he replied.

{"Ah! Master Jon! It is so good that I managed to get a hold of you."}

William's employer smiled as he replied. {"Good to hear from you, William. So what's the reason for calling me here in Paris?"}

The loyal butler nodded as he held up a letter. {"A correspondence came to the castle just today addressed to both you and Young Master Matthew."}

{"Really? What did it say?"}

{"It says that you and your son are cordially invited to compete in a freestyle martial arts tournament in Paris. Apparently, you and your son have a bit of fame after winning all those tournaments under the name of Talbane. The letter also says the other famous fighters will take part, including an old acquaintance of yours; Terry Bogard."}

Jon immediately became intrigued at this new development. {"Now there's an odd coincidence. I just ran into Terry Bogard and his brother just an hour ago. He told me that he was taking part in a tournament in Paris. I was just telling him that I couldn't compete since I didn't have an invitation."}

{"Well, you do have one, Master Jon. Both you and your son will be able to compete."}

{"But we can't just take part in a tournament with our passes still at the castle."}

{"Not to worry Master Jon. Simply give this invitation number to the judges when you arrive and they shall confirm your right to participate. Your number is 1449A. Your son's number is 1449B."}

{"Very good, William. It looks like I will get my chance to test my skills against Bogard after all. But I'm not really certain if we should take time off from our quest to compete in this tournament."}

{"Actually sir, I think it would be a good idea that you and Young Master Matthew take part. Are you near a fax machine?"} William walked over to an office fax.

Jon looked about and saw a coin-operated photocopier/fax machine near some public phones. {"Yes, I can get to one. Why do you ask?"}

{"The letter came with a photograph of the tournament's trophy. Once I fax it to you, you shall understand."}

Matthew's father nodded as he went to the machine and slipped in some coins in the slot. After punching in the correct button sequence and set it to receive, he then directed his butler to fax the photo. A minute later, the machine printed out the photo facsimile, which depicted a large, ornate trophy with a certain pattern design etched on the top. Upon closer inspection, Jon realized what his faithful servant was telling him.

The trophy had a medallion fragment imbedded in it.

So the next course of action was clear. To get the third piece of the medallion, Jon Talbain the Werewolf would have to win the tournament, and beat Terry the Hungry Wolf Bogard.

Tomorrow was going to be a very big day

* * *

Furinken High School, the next day

Akane grumbled as she trudged to school. Despite having taken more than a dozen baths and almost drowning herself in perfumed body wash, the stench that she had created in the kitchen _STILL_ clung to her. Since she had been next to the pot when it exploded, her odor was by far stronger than Genma and Soun's combined.

She couldn't understand it. She was positive that she had followed that stupid Anti-Hair Grow formula exactly. Surely she didn't make any mistakes, right? The recipe had been written wrong, that was it. And she didn't smell _THAT_ bad, right?

"Ewwww! What is that _STINK_? Did someone bring in dirty gym socks and ginger snaps?" One student said as he pinched his nose with his right hand.

"Peee-Yeeew! Did a sewage line just leak near a flower shop?" Another student said.

"I smell tennis shoes and fudge cake!" A third one added.

"You're all wrong! It happens to be lilacs and cow manure!" A fourth declared.

Soun's youngest daughter growled as she hurried into the school before people realized that the smell was coming from her. She was certain that amid her classmates, her odor would mix in with all the other smells. As she entered her homeroom and sat down, she let off a sigh relief.

She was safe _NOT_!

In that confined space, her unnatural odor was intensified and

"_AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!_"

"_WHAT IS THAT STINK?_"

"_AIR! I NEED AIR!_"

"_WHO BROKE _THAT_ WIND?_"

Several shouts of anguish and disgust were heard, as the room suddenly shook and trembled by the impacts of over thirty students and their teacher struggling to flee the immediate area. The door was knocked down as a dozen teenagers attempted to squeeze through. The windows were immediately shattered as more high-school attendees leapt through them. The teacher immediately scrawled a brief message on the chalkboard which read:

_**SELF-STUDY PERIOD ON ACCOUNT OF STENCH FROM HELL!**_

Nearly all of Akane's homeroom gasped for air, with several students vomiting their breakfasts. Some of the girls fainted and had to be carried out. In less than a minute, the entire classroom was empty save for one.

Akane let off a sigh as she stood up from her desk and walked dejectedly out the door.

* * *

Back in Paris

["Oui, Monsieur Talbane. You and your son's invitations are verified."] One of the judges said as he looked up the invitation numbers on his laptop at the entrance table. He then switched to English as he addressed Matthew who stood beside his father and Nabiki. {"We welcome you and your father to ze tournament. Now please register to ze Junior Division Section."} The man pointed to an area of the large stadium, where the competition was to take place. There was a large crowd of teens present.

{"Junior Division?"} The young werewolf asked. He had been expecting to go up against the more seasoned adult fighters.

{"Oui."} The judge nodded. {"This tournament is divided in two sections; ze adults for those 19 and older, and for ze youngsters 13 to 18."}

{"But"} Matthew began to protest, and then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over to his father and saw an encouraging expression.

{"Don't worry about it, Son. I hear that there are some very strong and impressive fighters near your age. And keep in mind the reason why we're in this tournament."}

Jon's son paused in thought, and then glanced over to Nabiki, who gave him a shy, yet reassuring smile. Nodding to his father, he and the Tendo girl walked over to the Junior Division Section. Since he was the one who had received the invitation, Soun's daughter would have to be content to cheer him on from the sidelines.

Not that Nabiki was complaining. Though her skill level had improved, she didn't feel confident enough to go up against opponents that had been training longer than she had; werewolf abilities or not. And there was always the risk that her secret could be exposed if something were to happen to the pendant she was wearing. As she looked about the throngs of martial artists and fighters, she began to recognize several styles. Some groups were advertising their schools and inviting others to sign up for classes. This made her think about her own family and wondered what they were doing right now. She was so deep in thought that she didn't watch where she was going and inadvertently bumped into someone.

"What the? Watch where you are going, you peasant!"

The haughtiness and arrogance of the tone of voice almost made the middle Tendo girl think she bumped into Kuno. However, as she gazed into the face of the individual, she knew for certain that it was not the Blue Blunder.

The girl was about her age, and wore what appeared to be a red, sailor fuku school uniform. However, instead of panties, she wore mid-thigh length shorts, and red sneakers. On her hands was a pair of leather gauntlets. She had shoulder-length, blonde hair, done up in a series of fancy ringlets, with a blue ribbon tied at the back in a large bow. She had light, brown eyes and a snobbish attitude about her.

"Well? Aren't you going to beg for forgiveness for intruding upon myself?" The girl demanded.

Just as Nabiki was about to reply, Matthew held out a hand in front of her and addressed the haughty girl.

"Hey, it was an accident. No harm, no foul. Just let it go."

"What? How dare you presume that I would let such an affront go unpunished? Do you have any idea who I am?"

Matthew gave the girl a slight once-over, and then nodded. "Yeah, I've seen your picture in magazines. You're Karin Kanzuki of the Kanzuki Family, one of the wealthiest families in the world. You're also the heir to the Kanzukiryu Kakutoujutsu martial arts style."

Karin smirked at Matthew's casual reply. "So you know of me. Not surprising. My family's style is world-famous, known by all, even to simple commoners like you."

Jon's offspring shrugged, then said, "As I recall, the Kanzukiryu Kakutoujutsu took a real blow to its image, when a commoner soundly defeated you."

The rich girl's expression became even more irritated as she responded to his statement. "That is a black mark, which I shall permanently erase when I defeat her in this tournament!"

At that point, Nabiki tapped her boyfriend on his shoulder and inquired, "So who defeated her?"

"_NOOOOOO! DON'T START WITHOUT ME!_"

As if by magic, the answer to her question came barreling into the area. She was a skinny, teenage girl, who wore a blue-colored, sailor fuku, had short brown hair, and a white, hachimaki on her forehead. On her feet were sneakers, and like Karin, instead of panties, she wore shorts under her skirt. She came to a screeching stop with her arms flailing, and then stooped over to catch her breath.

"(Huff) Whew! I made it! I (Puff) thought I was going to be late!"

"Heh you haven't changed, have you Sakura Kasugano?"

At the sound of Matthew's voice, the person in question looked up, and then let off a whoop of joy as she leapt toward him, ending in a fierce hug.

"_MATTHEW!_"

At this sudden display, Nabiki's eyes narrowed.

* * *

A little later

"Oh come on, Nabs!" Matthew said as he and his girlfriend walked toward the main stage where the official opening of the tournament would be held. "Don't tell me you're jealous of Sakura. She's just a friend of mine that I met during one of the competitions I took part in."

"No. Don't be silly! Why would I be jealous?" She shook her head in denial, though a small voice in her head was repeatedly saying 'liar.' "I was just a little surprised that you knew someone like that."

"Yeah, well Sakura's more interested in a certain fighter named Ryu than anyone else. She's got this obsession over finding him and becoming his disciple. This probably means that he's taking part in this tournament. That could also mean that Ken Masters would be here as well."

"Speaking of fighters, you seem to know a lot of them."

Jon's son nodded as he began pointing out some people in the crowds. "You get to know the competition really well, after you been around the fighting circles like my Dad and I." He first gestured to a short-haired, Japanese girl who wore a yellow training girl and a long, hachimaki about her neck. Her intense expression reminded Nabiki of her sister Akane. However, unlike her easy-to-anger sibling, this person had a kind of determined aura, and possessed far more skill and power.

"That's Makoto, heir to the Rindoukan Dojo. She practices a very brutal form of traditional-style karate. She's been trying to revive her family's dwindling school of martial arts ever since her father died." He then pointed to a couple of Chinese boys; one of them was wearing a baseball cap. Both were dressed in Kung Fu outfits. "That's Yun and Yang from Hong Kong. I believe they are disciples of Gen; a kung fu master of the Mourning and Hateful styles."

Nabiki nodded as she then noticed a familiar face. Elena waved to the pair as she stood in the crowds. After her match with Terry Bogard, she got along very easily with her new friends and rivals. Then her boyfriend pointed to a trio near the podium.

"Over there, you can see the three disciples of the Kyokuganryu Karate-style. The guy with the orange gi happens to be Ryo Sakazaki. Beside him is his little sister Yuri, (whom I'll probably be fighting against in the Junior Division), and their friend from Italy, Robert Garcia."

The second daughter of Soun Tendo took in all the information as they waited for the sponsors of the tournament to show up and begin the competition.

* * *

In another area of the arena

"Come one! Come all! See for yourselves the true power of Saikyo-ryuu! After I win this tournament, I will be accepting all applicants for my dojo! Take advantage of my special, low-rate entrance fees! Buy my merchandise!"

Terry and Jon could only shake their heads in disbelief as the fool in the pink gi continued to advertise his dojo, and hand out gaudy, 8 x 10 autographed photos of himself.

"How did a moron like Dan Hibiki get invited?" Terry wondered.

"Most likely he sneaked in." The werewolf suggested. "Either that or the sponsors probably thought he'd make good comic relief." Then Jon noted another person. "Unlike Hibiki, I'm not so certain to let _THAT_ person compete. This is supposed to be a friendly competition, and he's more likely to turn it into a bloodbath."

The individual he was referring to was a tall, lanky individual with red hair, and sported a leather jacket that had a crescent moon pattern on the back. Iori Yagami looked on with cold eyes that could give shivers to even the dead.

"If I were to guess, I'd say that Yagami is here because of him." Terry noted another person who was dressed in a white shirt, leather jacket, jeans, running shoes and fingerless gloves. Unlike the Hungry Wolf, Kyo Kusanagi didn't wear a baseball cap.

Matthew's father nodded and considered the consequences of going up against opponents such as these two. Both used pyrokinetic flames that were magical in nature and connected to the Yamata No Orochi legend. That meant they had the power to seriously injure, or even kill a lycanthrope. He would have to face them with caution.

At that point, he also caught sight of some other notable fighters such as the Americans, Colonel William Guile and Ken Masters. He also saw Interpol Agent Chun-Li and Cammy from Delta Red. Jon and his son had helped them out with several missions in the past. The massive, rotund figure could only be Sumo champion E. Honda. The large, muscular man with scars was Zangief from Russia, who had earned his body marks by fighting Siberian grizzlies bare-handed. He would have his hands full competing against his Australian counterpart Big Bear, formally the masked wrestler Raiden. There was also the Tae Kwan Do champion Kim Kaphwan from Korea, King from Terry's old home in Southtown, and Jubei Yamada, also known as Yamada the Demon.

The aged master walked toward the pair and waved to them. With his other hand, he slyly pinched the derriere of one of the female fighters present, who immediately belted him in the face. However, the old pervert easily shrugged it off as he approached them.

Terry bowed and showed him the proper respect, even though he was a lecher. Jubei had also been a very close friend to the late Tung Fu Rue; the former master of the Hakkyokuseiken style, and Terry and Andy's mentor. He was also Andy's master in the art of Judo. He was grooming him to take over the Yamada Dojo, in addition to carrying on the Shiranui Ninjitsu school, after he had married Mai and finished training under her grandfather Hanzo Shiranui.

"Good to see you again, Master Jubei." Andy's brother greeted, then gestured to Jon. "I didn't know that you were going to compete in this tournament. May I introduce you to Johnny Talbane? He's a good friend of mine and a great fighter."

"Actually, I'm here as one of the judges. As for your friend, we've met before." The aged Judo master gestured with a finger for Matthew's father to lean toward him. As he did so, Jubei whispered into Jon's ear and said, "You're looking quite well, Jon Talbain. I know why you're going under a different name. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

The lycanthrope nodded as he stood up and explained to Bogard. "Jubei Yamada used to be my old Judo instructor sixteen years ago. It's been a long time, Master Jubei."

The blonde fighter nodded in understanding, then caught sight of his brother and future sister-in-law. The couple came up, both dressed in their fighting attire; Andy in his tunic, leggings, and tabi boots, and Mai in her revealing ninja outfit, complete with swishing tails and plunging neckline.

This of course, got Jubei immediately groping for her chest. "Mai! Andy! Good to see you again and"

_**WHACK!**_

Before he could get a hold on Mai's bosom, he was immediately stuck upside the head by one of her fans. He staggered back a bit and rubbed his left temple.

"Keep your hands to yourself, you old pervert!" The red-haired ninja said in disgust, and then she cuddled against her fianc. "The only one who gets to touch me like that is my future husband!" She gave her love a seductive smile and added, "Just like last night, right darling?"

Andy blushed a bit as he recalled the activities of the previous night. No sooner had they gotten back to their hotel room, when Mai jumped him and got his hormones raging. He wondered just where she had gotten such seduction techniques. Even the Kama Sutra would be considered tame in comparison. They had already gone through twelve boxes of condoms, just only a week after he had proposed to her. (3)

It was at that time that a loudspeaker announced that the opening ceremonies of the tournament were about to begin.

* * *

Back in Japan

In a large, Army Surplus store, the owner scratched his head in befuddlement as he looked over the recent sales report. He couldn't understand why his entire stock of gas masks would be bought out by the student populace of a local high school

To be continued

Author's Notes

This chapter was getting a bit long, so I decided to cut it here. As for the next part, we'll see some more of your favorite KOF and Street Fighter characters as Jon and Matthew fight their way to the top to get the next medallion piece. See you then!

(1) Got this idea from an episode of _ **Danny Phantom**_.

(2) Joe Higashi, friend of the Bogards from _**Fatal Fury**_ and _**KOF**_.

(3) When Morrigan gave her those seduction tips, Mai REALLY put them to good use! ^ _ ^ 


	15. Chapter 14: World Tour Part 3

** The Beast Within**

Disclaimer: Darkstalkers, Street Fighters, King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, and Ranma 1/2 all belong to someone else.

' ': Thoughts

**Chapter 14**

**World Tour Part 3**

**First Rounds**

"_FLYING PEACH!_"

Matthew couldn't believe it as he saw his opponent attacking with her signature move, which consisted of using her posterior as a flying battering ram. Of course, that only gave the young werewolf a target that was just too irresistible.

"_SPIN RAZOR!_"

_**BOOM!**_

Rainbow Mika immediately regretting using that particular maneuver as she literally got her butt kicked in!

"_YEEEEOOOOOWWWW!_"

The large, muscular wrestling teen was booted out of the ring and landed face-first into the ground. The bell sounded as Jon Talbain's son won by forcing his opponent out-of-bounds.

In the crowds, Nabiki applauded with the others as the referee held up her boyfriend's arm in victory. On the sidelines, Mika picked herself up while rubbing her sore rear end. She let off a sad sigh as this was her second loss. She was therefore eliminated from competition in the French King of Fighters Junior Division. At present, the young lycanthrope had won three straight matches with no losses. Each participant could not afford to lose more than one round in order to stay in the tournament.

So far, the opponents Matthew had defeated some strong contenders and sent them packing. Mika had been the third fighter taken out of the running for first place. Her wrestling moves and inherent strength were her best fighting qualities, but her lack of speed and overall tactics were no match against someone like Jon's son. His first two fights had been against the brothers from Hong Kong, Yun and Yang.

Matthew jumped down from the ring to join up with his girlfriend, while waiting for the next pair of combatants to enter. He was also wondering how his father was doing. Looking up at the arena's main scoreboard, he noted that Johnny Talbane, (Jon Talbain), was next to fight in the Adult Division. He then saw the name of his opponent.

'_Well that's going to be one of the shortest fights in history._'

* * *

Sure enough, on the other side of the arena...

"_FIGHT!_"

_**WHABAM!**_

"_WINNER... JOHNNY TALBANE!_"

Dan Hibiki groaned in agony as he was upside-down with his head smashed deep into the floor of the ring. As soon as the match began, his opponent grabbed him, turned him around, and drove him head-first into the floor like a tent stake. As it obvious to everyone that he wouldn't be able to free himself anytime soon, Matthew's father was given the win by TKO. (1)

"Nice." Terry Bogard commented as the elder werewolf lightly jumped out of the ring and joined him with the other competitors and spectators.

"Well I didn't want to waste any energy on that guy." Jon replied. "Hibiki's fighting style is practically nonexistent."

The two shared a chuckle before Bogard's name was called to the ring.

"Well, here I go. Wish me luck."

Jon gave Terry a friendly pat on the back and said, "You won't need any luck until the finals. I'll see you there."

* * *

Several hours later...

_**WHOMP!**_

"_WINNER, MATTHEW TALBANE!_"

Jon's son flexed his slightly-sprained right arm and winced slightly. Groaning as she struggled back to her feet, Makoto couldn't believe that she had lost. For much of the match, she had gotten in several powerful strikes and had kept her opponent on the defensive. However, near the end of the match, Matthew had surprised her with his Beast Cannon. Though she was quite formidable at close-quarters combat, being hit by Talbane's technique was comparable to being rammed by a speeding car.

However, she was honorable enough to know that she had been beaten fairly, and gave him a respectful bow, which he returned. As they left the ring, Matthew could only expect the matches to get harder. Makoto's strikes were like being hit by sledgehammer blows. He wouldn't be surprised if she used her ki to augment the power of her punches. Unlike Akane Tendo, who used anger-driven energy to recklessly strike her targets, Makoto's punches were far more focused and effective.

The past five bouts had Matthew's werewolf healing abilities working hard to keep him going. His father had been correct in saying that he would face off against some considerable opponents near his age. He had barely withstood Yuri Sakazaki's Haoh Shou Kouken at near point-blank range. He nearly got knocked out of the ring by Elena's Brave Dance. And just before his bout with Makoto, he had faced off against a Chinese boy named Sie Kensou, and his Super Bullet blasts hurt! By this point, he was fighting at near-full strength without transforming into his hybrid form.

As he looked up at his ratings in the tournament, he smiled as he saw that he was now in the top sixteen competitors. He then saw Nabiki applauding in the crowds and smiled as he was reminded why he was fighting so hard.

* * *

In the adult matches...

"_SPINNING BIRD KICK!_"

"Ryuu Enbu!"

Chun Li cried out as she spun into an arc of fire. As she tumbled to the mat, Andy Bogard's future wife went in for the final blow as she made a couple of somersaults, then was surrounded by a corona of flames.

"Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi!"

Her extended elbow struck Chun Li in her solar plexus, knocking her out of the ring. As the Interpol Agent landed hard on her rear, Mai made a bamboo umbrella appear from out of nowhere. She made a sultry pose with the umbrella over her shoulder, her costume's tails held over one arm, and with her shapely rear facing her fianc in the crowd. She looked over her shoulder, gave him a demure wink and said...

"NOW who's the strongest woman in the world?"

Andy could only shake his head while smiling.

* * *

In the judges' stand, Jubei Yamada tallied Mai's win over Chun Li and waited for the next match, which would be his former pupil Johnny Talbane, or rather Jon Talbain. Beside him was the Tournament Championship Trophy. Embedded in its base, the third fragment of the medallion glowed slightly.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Japan...

Akane Tendo growled as she passed by the front gates of Furinken High. Nearly everyone gave her a wide berth. However, it was not because they feared her fighting skills. It was her stench that caused people to avoid her like the plague.

Ever since that disaster with mixing the Anti-Hair Growth Formula, the unnatural odor she had created still clung to her. It had not taken long for people to realize that she was the source of the smell. When it was discovered, just about everyone was either wearing a gas mask, had a bandanna tightly wrapped about their mouths and noses, or was constantly spraying air fresheners, perfumes and deodorant. She was constantly shunned and people gave her a wide path everywhere she went. Things couldn't possibly get any worse.

"_READY... AIM... FIRE!_"

Akane barely had time to look in the direction of the voice before she was hit by a massive torrent of water, mixed in with several chemicals. She was thrown off her feet and fell face first into the ground. Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the water stream stopped, leaving a soaked and very irate Tendo girl lying on the ground. She immediately got back up and prepared to give whoever attacked her a beating he/she would never forget!

She then saw a large machine with a long barrel, hidden from sight next to the gymnasium. The muzzle of the huge water cannon was still dripping. The operators behind the cannon took off their gas masks and sniffed the air around the area. Akane recognized them as members of the Chemistry and Engineering clubs. All of them shook their heads as one of them said...

"Damn! She _STILL_ smells like a dead bison and banana pudding!"

That was all he could say as Akane brought her wrath upon them!

* * *

Deep in space...

A large streak of orange-red light blazed through the star-studded void at a mind-boggling velocity, though it would still take some time before it came to the galaxy, where the signal it had received came from. However, that didn't mean that it couldn't stop along the way... for a light snack.

A small, green-yellow world was in the path of the unnatural comet and was engulfed in its outer corona. In less time it took to tell, the living orb was reduced to a lifeless, burned-out husk. To the being within the comet, it was nothing more than an appetizer as he let off a murderous laugh and continued on his way.

Eventually, Pyron would begin devouring the main course.. the Planet Earth.

* * *

Back on Earth...

Even though Pyron was billions of light years away from the planet, certain beings were already aware of his approach.

One such being deep in the Teotihuacn ruins began to reactivate itself after countless centuries of dormancy. The thing was metallic in nature and had a top-heavy frame with oversized shoulders. During the time of the Mayans, it had been worshipped as an idol to their ancient gods. However, what that civilization didn't know was that it was actually a unit of the Huitzil robots that Pyron had left on the planet millions of years ago. Their function was to watch over the development of the world's life forces and prepare it for his eventual consumption. It was they, and not some gigantic meteor, that had caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. Since that time, they had been in hibernation and awaited for the signal of their master's return.

Now the signal had been received, but only this particular Huizel robot had become active. And its own programming had been eroded and corrupted over the millennia. As soon as its optic scanners became active, it detected the presence of a small life form playing nearby.

A young boy named Cecil.

* * *

Back at the tournament, Jon Talbain could only stare up at his next opponent.

And up... and up... and up!

If there's one thing about Hugo Andore, it was that the word 'short' was NOT in his limited vocabulary. Jon estimated his foe to be even taller than Victor von Gerdenheim and probably outweighed E. Honda by at least two hundred pounds. The giant had already flattened the Sumo champion, and gave his fellow wrestlers, Zangief and Big Bear, quick trips to the Emergency Ward. (2)

Standing behind them, near the edge of the ring, Hugo's manager Poison was busy taking bets on how fast Jon would be taken down. Considering the huge wrestler's previous competitors, she estimated that Matthew's father wouldn't last more than 30 seconds.

"_READY... FIGHT!_"

'_Oh boy!_'

* * *

On the Junior Division side...

"Ow, ow, ow!" Matthew groaned as Nabiki tended to his injuries. Both were sitting on a bench as the Tendo girl applied a cold compress to her boyfriend's thigh. He had taken a very hard landing after getting hit by another psychic energy attack, this time by a girl named Athena Asamiya. Luckily for Jon's offspring, her strikes were relatively light in comparison to his other opponents. He had powered through her assault and forced her to submit after getting her into a wrestling hold.

At that point, the announcer let off a cry of surprise as the current match ended shockingly.

"Fantastique! Sakura Kasugano and Karin Kanzuki have been knocked out of the ring simultaneously! It is a _DOUBLE RING OUT_! Both are out of the competition!"

_"FOUL! I CALL FOUL!_" The blonde girl insisted as she was helped up by her bodyguards. "My opponent hit the ground before I did!"

Sakura picked herself off the ground and dusted herself off. It had been a mistake in judgment. After cornering Karin against the edge of the ring, she had rushed in to finish her off with her Shoruken. However, unlike her idol Ryu and his friend Ken, she needed a running start to get her technique off the ground.

The uppercut was anticipated and her rival had countered with a quick grab to Sakura's extended arm, with the intent of throwing her out of the ring. Unfortunately for both girls, Ryu's biggest fan was going too fast to stop and the forward momentum was enough to send them over the edge. They twisted to lessen the impact but they were unable to prevent themselves from hitting the ground. Now they were both out of the running for the championship and their rivalry was still unresolved.

Just as the Kanzuki heir was about to escalate the issue of who landed on the floor first, there was a huge commotion that caught everyone's attention.

**_BA-BOOOOOM!_**

All turned their eyes toward the Adult Side of the tournament as the ring had collapsed in on itself. In the middle of the ruined area, the giant known as Hugo was facedown and out like a light. Standing off to the side, Poison could only gape in total disbelief. Her previously undefeated moneymaker had been beaten! His opponent, who was barely six-tenths Andore's size, had actually managed to bring him down! Then her depression became even deeper as she realized all the bets she would have to pay off.

Sitting on his rear and in considerable pain, Jon Talbain let off a sigh of relief. Fighting the massive wrestler was like going up against Cruk when he was drunk. Whenever the Orc got a hold of any alcohol, he felt virtually no pain whatsoever and his strength seemed to quintuple. Hugo was an opponent who could shrug off most hits to his body, so Jon had to concentrate striking his more vulnerable areas such as his face and joints. Using his superior speed to avoid being grabbed by those massive hands, he got in several dozens of quick, but powerful strikes and rolled with any errant hits that Hugo managed to get in. Finally, he ended it by using his Climb Razor Kick to lift the giant into the air, then slammed him back into the floor of the ring, causing it to collapse.

As he got to his feet, he let off another grateful sigh that the first day of the tournament was over. He looked up at the display boards and noted that his son had also made it past the first half of the competition. Then he saw some of the names of the competition for the next day.

'_Hmmm... Ryu... Ryo Sakazaki... Andy Bogard... Mai Shiranui... Kasumi Todoh... Ken Masters... and of course my old friend Terry Bogard. It seems that I will have that rematch._'

* * *

A little later

"It was so unfair!" Sakura pouted as she, Nabiki, Matthew and Elena were drinking sodas at the hotel lounge. "I can't believe I got knocked out of the tournament on the first day!"

"You did pretty good out there." Matthew admitted as he took a sip of his drink. "If it wasn't for that double ring-out, you'd probably be facing off against me in the second half."

"Yeah, but I still feel like I let down Master Ryu."

"Well, we all learn from our mistakes. I just barely made it." '_Even with my fast-healing abilities._' He silently added.

Jon's offspring was grateful that there would be a two-day resting period between the first and second half of the tournament, which would allow him to fully recover from the injuries he had sustained.

* * *

At the adult side of the hotel lounge, Terry Bogard and Jon Talbain enjoyed having a beer together.

"French beer isn't half-bad." The Lone Wolf commented as he took a swig. "And you were pretty good out there."

"You did pretty well yourself." Jon remarked. "So I'll be seeing you in the final bout?"

"We both have a long way to go." Terry commented. "We've still got face off against Ryo Sakazaki and his friend Robert Garcia. I hear that kickboxer King made it through to the second half as well."

"Hmmm" The lycanthrope nodded. "I got a challenge from some guy named Alex, after I beat his rival Hugo. Guile and Cammy are still in the running. The one I'm looking out for, besides you is that Ryu fellow."

"Yeah, I know. I looked at that rankings for the second half of the tournament. He's my first opponent. How about you?"

"It seems I'll be fighting against some character named Sagat."

"Well then" Terry held up his mug of beer. " here's to seeing each other in the finals."

Jon raised his own mug and clinked it against his friend's. "Cheers."

The two friends downed their drinks in one swallow and let the beer do its job. For Jon, it was nearly impossible for him to become intoxicated, as he had a phenomenal resistance against alcohol.

"By the way" Talbain asked. "where's your brother? I haven't seen him or his fiance since the end of the first half."

"I doubt you will see either of them for the next two days. He and Mai went off somewhere. Mai told me that she had some 'special massage' techniques to help Andy work out the strained muscles he got after that bout against Kim Khapwan."

Both men smiled as Jon chuckled. "I can imagine." '_Especially if Mai had gotten those techniques from Morrigan in her emails._'

* * *

Sure enough, in a very steamy love hotel

"Oh God, Mai! Where did you learn _THAT_?"

"How does that feel, Darling?"

"It feels so _UNREAL_!"

"And how about _THIS_?"

"_DAMN! IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?_"

A few minutes later, it was the sexy ninja girl who was gasping in sheer ecstasy.

"_YES! YES! OH YES ANDY! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU!_"

"I just can't get enough of you!"

Mai smiled in total bliss as she silently thanked her pen pal for the special massage techniques. Not only did they ease Andy's muscle strains, but they also gave him unbelievable stamina in the bedroom. If her future husband was this frisky before the ceremony, then she could only imagine that their wedding night would totally blow their minds!

She couldn't wait!

* * *

Back in Japan the next day

Akane was in a foul mood as she walked toward the front gate of the school. Things had gone from bad to worse after that water cannon incident. Sure it felt good to pound those engineering and science lab geeks into the ground, but that only gave another reason for people to steer clear of her. Not that anyone could get within fifty feet of her without trying to repress the urge to throw up. She had caused quite a stir during the entire school day, and that led to her current predicament.

* * *

Flashback to earlier that day

In the principals office...

"Akane Tendo cannot be allowed to come to Furinken, until she gets rid of that smell! She killed all the plants in the greenhouse!" The president of the Botany Club declared. It had taken the club four months to grow those special tomatoes, but now they couldn't even use the rotten fruit to make ketchup. In fact, the ruined crop wouldn't even make a decent compost heap.

"I agree!" The Home Economics teacher concurred. "It was bad enough that she turned my kitchen into a disaster area every class, but now we can't even cook the most basic of meals because she caused all the foods in the refrigerator to spoil! I have nothing left to prepare!"

The School Nurse also added her input. "I've been getting more and more cases of nausea and extreme vomiting, especially during lunch time. She cannot be allowed near the cafeteria. The students can't keep their lunches down. I'm running out of stomach pills and medicine for nausea. And I've gotten a message from the cafeteria that Tendo's odor made all their food and supplies go bad."

"She's not helping in P.E. classes either." The coach said. "Apparently, when she works out, the sweat she builds up only increases that smell of hers. Just yesterday, when she ran on the track, she caused everyone to drop to the ground and throw up. All the soap in the showers was not enough to get rid of that stink!"

"That made things worse in her classes following Phys Ed." Akane's homeroom teacher stated. "I've had complaints from the English and Math teachers. No student wants to sit next to her or even in the same room! Both classes had to be canceled. We can't go on like this!"

The current principal could only sigh tiredly. This was only the latest in a long line of complaints she had been getting from the students and teachers. Finally she nodded and said the following.

"Very well then. As of today, Akane Tendo is hereby _BANNED_ from Furinken High, (save for picking up and dropping off her assignments), until she is able to rid herself of that smell."

End of flashback

* * *

Akane couldn't believe that she was being forced from the school, just because of a little odor. She didn't really smell _THAT_ bad, did she?

"_READY AIM FIRE!_"

Before she knew it, she was hit by another huge amount of water, several in fact, this time from above. Since she had destroyed the science team's water cannon, the eggheads had to come up with another way of dousing her with their latest attempt to rid her of her foul stench. This time, they used a catapult and several dozens of water balloons. However, as they came out of hiding, (this time wrapped in varying amounts of bandages), they discovered that their latest attempt was just as unsuccessful.

"Aw nuts! She still smells like old socks and peaches!"

"_AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!_"

* * *

In the hotel where Jon, Nabiki and Matthew were staying in, the head of the Talbain clan got another call from his butler.

"Hello William. How are things at the castle? What? Some paparazzi reporter managed to get into the castle?"

On the other side, Dubroke immediately alleviated his master's concern. "Oh it is nothing to worry about, Master Jon. By pure chance, the interloper managed to get past the Grimbard Sister's spell of confusion when they were renewing the runes. Cruk gave the reporter a light tap on the head to knock him out and Shamus O'Shea assures me that our uninvited guest will have no memory of what he has seen here. Actually the purpose of this call is about the medallion pieces that you have collected so far."

"What about them?"

"Well apparently, when I had the legend of the medallion researched even further, it appears that there is a warning which states that the medallion must never be assembled. However, the reason behind it still eludes me thus far."

"Hmm, that's a bit of a problem since we need the whole medallion in order to make Nabiki a Primary Lycanthrope. It's too late for us to stop this quest now. We'll just have to deal with whatever dangers that will come when we've collected all the fragments."

* * *

In Tokyo that eveining

Demitri Maximoff, last of the Vampire Nobles, silently cursed as he dodged a deadly barrage of silver-plated submachine gun rounds. He had just gotten his full-strength back, when he ran into a cute little girl with a red, hooded cloak and packing an Uzi.

As far as B. Bonnie Hood was concerned, Maximoff represented a huge bounty in which she was intent on cashing in. She had used her innocent appearance to draw the vampire toward her, then began letting loose a torrent of explosive ordinance and ammunition.

However, as the battle escalated, it began to draw the attention of certain individuals, which included a bloodthirsty paladin that was possessed by an equally murderous samurai spirit; and an organization with a powerful vampire agent of its own.

* * *

Hellsing Tokyo HQ

"Sir Integra!"

"What is it Walter?" The organization's leader and Alucard's master asked as she sat at her desk.

"Paladin Alexander has been spotted heading toward downtown Tokyo. What is even more surprising is that an independent bounty hunter is heavily engaged with the Vampire Noble Demitri Maximoff. The confrontation is certain to get out of hand very quickly and the local police force is ill-equipped to deal with such matters."

As if on cue, Alucard appeared from within the shadows and nodded to his master.

"I assume that my services are needed this night?" The bloodsucker inquired.

"You assume correctly, Alucard. The Bishamon-possessed Paladin was your primary target. However, I will wager that you have a score to settle with the vampire Maximoff as well."

The Hellsing agent grinned, showing off a wicked set of fangs. "You would win that wager. Bishamon, Paladin Alexander and Demetri Maximoff; three prizes all in place. This shall be a _VERY_ interesting night indeed."

* * *

At the Tendo Home

"Akane! I told you to stay out of the kitchen!" Kasumi said in exasperation as she gently pushed her younger sibling out the door.

"But I thought you could use some help cooking dinner tonight"

"I don't need any help, thank you." The eldest Tendo daughter said quickly as she ushered Akane out.

After that disaster with the Anti-Hair Grow Formula, Kasumi wasn't too keen on letting her sister touch anything that had to do with the culinary arts. She had spent two days cleaning out the kitchen to the point where she could prepare meals again. Furthermore, she had just bought fresh vegetables and did not want them to start rotting from her sister's unnatural smell. During lunch, her father and Mr. Saotome's stench was so overpowering, it caused all the food to spoil, forcing her to go shopping twice in one day.

'Ranma's' father wasn't too happy to go without lunch. Missing a meal also led to an argument with Soun, over which one's stink spoiled the meal. This already put a severe strain on their friendship, especially after the Miracle Hair Shampoo and the Anti-Hair Grow Formula fiascos.

Until Dr. Tofu could come up with an antidote, Soun, Genma and Akane would have to stay outside of the house and sleep in the dojo.

Things only got more difficult when Akane came home and told her family that she couldn't attend school. That meant that the smell would only increase in intensity and the neighbors were complaining. Unfortunately, many of the homes were downwind of the Tendo Complex. Nearby stores have been selling out their stocks of air fresheners and the army surplus store had to re-order more gas masks. Already there were threats to contact the city's health department and have the area quarantined.

On the upside, the hellish aroma actually kept vermin away, rather than attracting them. Apparently, even cockroaches, rats, flies and maggots had their standards. The smell was even more effective than the strongest bug repellent. If the SC Johnson company could contain and patent that stench, it would probably be more effective than Raid.

At present, Kasumi was making do with what little they had. The generous donations from the Talbane family had been nearly used up to repair the walls and furniture, as well as replace the kitchen appliances. As a result, the budget was extremely tight and they could not afford any more of Akane's attempts at cooking.

Things were going downhill for the Tendo family.

* * *

In downtown Tokyo

The surrounding area near the shopping district looked as if Godzilla had strolled through the streets. If given a choice, the citizens would have preferred to have the giant, mutated dinosaur in comparison to the real instigators of the mass devastation.

The bounty hunter in the red cloak had already used up enough ordinance to level Kuwait during the first Gulf War and was still going strong. Her picnic basket seemed to be a bottomless storehouse of rockets, bombs, ammunition clips and other nasty devices. There was not a single glass pane or window intact and just about every car on the streets was a smoldering pile of wreckage.

Though B. Bonnie Hood was a crack shot, her target was unwilling to cooperate in her collecting the bounty on his undead head. Demitri Maximoff had just recovered from his encounter with Alucard when he had come across the little bounty hunter. He had been tricked into thinking she was an innocent target and had intended to feast on her blood. However, as soon as he came near, he sensed her dark soul energy. That was when she whipped out her Uzi and started firing off silver-plated ammunition. Things were made even worse for the vampire lord as she chucked off a load of solar-flash grenades. The explosions of sunlight further weakened him.

Hood had also taken the precaution of setting up a supernatural barrier to keep him from escaping. The boundary surrounded five square blocks and any Darkstalker would be trapped inside should he/she crossed it. Demitri could only escape by killing the gun-toting Little Red Riding Hood. And as many Darkstalkers could attest, such a task was not considered simple.

Standing on a rooftop, just outside the boundary of the barrier, Alucard and his vassal Seras, considered the situation. One of their targets was in sight, and though the bounty hunter wasn't on their list to eliminate, the bloodsucker was certain that his master wouldn't mind if he killed her. Now all they needed was

The greatest weapon of the Hellsing Organization smiled, showing off a frightening display of fangs as he noticed a certain figure cross the barrier, attracted to the scent of blood and the sheer carnage of battle. Paladin Alexander, possessed by the spirit of Bishamon, had arrived.

"Master? Should we not engage?" Seras inquired as she hefted the anti-tank rifle in her hands.

Alucard nodded as he took out the heavy, automatic pistol from the insides of his trenchcoat. He made a grand display of biting down on the slide and using his mouth to pull it back, cocking the hammer. With his quarry trapped within the barrier, there would be no escape.

He jumped down toward the battlezone with Seras following close behind. Several squads of crack Hellsing troops also joined the fray.

The night would echo with the screams of terror and the rending of flesh. Blood would flow freely this night.

* * *

Back in Paris the second day of the tournament, Junior Division

"Ow! Ow! Ow!"

Matthew grimaced as he hobbled out of the ring. The last bout had been especially rough and he had almost resorted to changing into his hybrid form. When his father said that there would be formidable fighters near his age, he had not been joking. Among the human race, there were quite a few extraordinary teen fighters.

His opponent, a student from Taiyo High by the name of Batsu Ichimonji, was out cold. Sitting on benches on the sidelines, were the werewolf's other beaten opponents from Gorin High, Pacific High and Gedou High. Among them was baseball player Shoma Sawamura, which Matthew had smacked on the head with his own bat. The volleyball player Natsu Ayuhara he beat by smashing one of her volleyballs into her face. Akira Kazama, the biker who turned out to be a girl after her helmet got knocked off. Roy Bromwell the football player, whom he managed to punt out of the ring, and his girlfriend Tiffany Lords.

Until today, Matthew wouldn't have believed that a cheerleader could hit THAT hard. As he sat down on a bench and let Nabiki help tend to his injuries, he began to wonder about the schools his rivals came from. If the students were this tough, one could only imagine what their teachers were like.

* * *

In the Adult Division, Matthew's father was experiencing first-hand how tough the teachers were. At the moment, he was breathing hard after a long, drawn-out battle with one of the instructors of Justice High. He had finally forced Hideo Shimazu to submit, and was even helping him to exit the ring. Standing nearby with a notepad was his fiance Kyoko Minazuki, who was ready to administer her trademark chiropractic skills for both combatants.

Jon had also managed to win against Ryu's rival Ken Masters, but only by a very small margin. The American had gotten careless when he tried to use his Shoryuken, after he had backed his foe into a corner. The lycanthrope barely beat him when he countered with his Climb Razor kick. Ken's head was slightly forward at the time, thereby giving Jon the split-second he needed for the win.

The only easy fight he had in the second part of the tournament was when he went up against police officer Hon-Fu from Hong Kong. At first, it was an even match since both primarily used the nunchakus. The two exchanged extremely damaging blows with the chained clubs, but then Hon-Fu missed with his weapon and accidently smacked himself in the groin. (3)

In other matches, King and Mai Shiranui were eliminated in a double KO. Andy Bogard had defeated Billy Kane and Duck King, but was forced out of the ring, when he went up against Iori Yagami. Sagat, the former Muay Thai champion (before Joe Higashi took that title), was taken down by Kim Kaphwann from Korea. Axel Hawk managed to score a win against Balrog, but proved to be no match for Dudley.

The battles continued all day, as the strongest fighters moved up in the rankings and the losers fell to wayside. Soon the quarter-finals were decided as two fighters from the same country faced each other off.

"Handsome fighters never lose battles!" Vega taunted as he faced off against a fellow Spaniard.

Laurence Blood was not impressed with the prancing braggart as he held up his cape in front of him. "Then you must not be very handsome if you wear a mask! You bring shame to our mother country of Spain!"

With that insult, Vega charged at his fellow matador, intending to skewer him with the metal claw on his right hand. Though the weapon did extend his reach, Wolfgang Krauser's servant had something with an even longer range.

Just as his opponent leapt at him, Blood revealed what was hidden behind his cape, which was a double-edged Spanish sword. He easily parried the claw, then used his cape, (which was weighted down at the end), to swipe at Vega's legs. The arrogant fighter was knocked backward, but recovered by making a double back-flip. However, Lawrence pressed the attack and let off a series of quick slashes.

"_BLOODY FLASH!_"

Vega barely managed to block most of the stabs and slashes with his claw, but a few managed to nick his arms and his chest, staining the large cobra tatoo red with blood. Angered that he was being forced back, the so-called Spanish Ninja rolled under Laurence's reach and thrust forward with his weapon.

His opponent twisted to the side to avoid a fatal wound, but the deadly hand claw tore into his side. Biting down on the pain, Blood retaliated as he shot forward like a spinning torpedo.

"_BLOODY SPIN!_"

The masked fighter was caught totally off-guard by the move which resembled Bison's Psycho Crusher. He was smashed hard in the stomach and thrown toward the ring's edge. He was nearly knocked out of the arena, but was saved by the ropes that surrounded the ring. His claw also broke off from the impact. At that moment, Laurence Blood came in for the kill.

The Spaniard with the mask realized that he was at a grave disadvantage in the ring as his fighting style involved a lot of aerial moves. He much preferred his own caged arena in Spain where he could attack from above. As his foe neared to finish him off, Vega got creative and hopped up on the ring's top rope. He waited until the last moment as Laurence stabbed forth with his sword.

"_SABER DASH!_"

Hopping down on the rope and using the rebound to leap over the thrust, Vega soared high into the air and cried out.

"_IZUNA DROP!_"

However, Laurence Blood showed why he considered his skills as only second to Wolfgang Krauser's, as he recovered from the missed stab and leapt up to meet his enemy.

"_RED ASSAULT!_"

Before the vain stooge of Bison could react, Laurence flipped upside-down and wrapped up his foe's upper body with his cape. He turned him about in midair, before slamming his face into the floor of the ring. There was a sickening crunch as Vega's body went limp.

Blood casually unwrapped Vega from his cape, revealing an unconscious opponent with a shattered mask. His face was a broken mess.

"Now you have a real reason to wear a mask Senor Vega."

The crowds cheered as Lawrence Blood was declared the winner. Then it was time for one of the most anticipated fights of the century.

Ryu Vs Terry Bogard.

* * *

Back in Tokyo, an hour after the chaos

Sir Integra was not happy as she surveyed the devastated city streets. The battle between the two vampire lords, a homicidal Paladin Alexander with the spirit of an equally bloodthirsty samurai, a pscyho bounty hunter in a red cloak and the forces of the Hellsing Organization had ended badly for all sides. Downtown Tokyo had received the worst of the exhanges as nearly every building was a smolding pile of rubble. The streets were littered with huge craters and the electrical and water mains were out. Surprisingly, civilian casualties were very light as the conflict had taken place during a time when businesses were closing up and people were already home. However, with a disturbance this huge, it was going to be a nightmare to cover up and prevent it from making the evening news, if it hadn't already done so.

"Sir Integra?"

The head of Hellsing turned to face a group of men who were led by her servant Walter. The most distinguishing feature about these men was that each one was dressed in a black, business suit, leather shoes, white dress shirt, and sporting leader of the newcomers seemed to be in his late fifties to early sixties, had gray hair and had a bit of a paunch. He stepped forward and held out his hand, which took and shook it.

"Ah Zed. Good to see you and the MIB again. Please walk with me."

The leader of the Men In Black, nodded as he issued orders to his subordinates. "Agent M and Agent C will coordinate with Walter to intercept all video feeds, photos and Internet media streams. Not a single LETTER of this incident is to be made public. Agent A and Agent W, you two will handle the cover story and have all damage to this area restored by morning. The rest of you will spread out and take care of all witnesses. Neurolyze the entire city of Tokyo and the surrounding areas in a ten-mile radius, if you have to, but I do not want to hear anything resembling the truth about this matter, unless it happens to be on a tabloid that no one would believe! Get going!"

The MIB agents voiced their acknowledgement as they scattered, leaving their leader alone with Sir Integra. The two began to walk along the devastated streets and discussed certain matters of importance.

"As always Zed, the MIB's assistance is greatly appreciated. Covering up this matter with Hellsing resources alone would have been most difficult."

Zed nodded and replied. "But of course Sir Integra. We at the MIB would NEVER turn our backs to our friends in Hellsing. After all, it was your family's organization which gave us all the Intel on the Old Races, particularly on vampires."

"And in return, you have kept Hellsing supplied with advanced technology and information about alien activity on Earth. It's quite an equitable arrangement. However, I fear that things will be getting more out hand in the future." Integra let off a frustrated sigh.

"There has been an increase in alien and monster sightings worldwide." The MIB leader concurred. "We've already sent messages to all major extraterrestrial centers to increase their secrecy measures. We've also sent word to Castle Talbain. It's almost as if something has upset the mystic and metaphysical balance of reality."

"A bit of bad news I could do without. Demitri Maximoff and B. Bonnie Hood had managed to elude capture. The only silver lining in all of this was that Paladin Alexander had been temporarily neutralized during the battle. Apparently, even his regeneration powers are not enough to restore him quickly enough after being hit by a magnetic implosion charge. My compliments to the MIB design team."

"Thank you."

"And may I also compliment you on the Level Omega containment field generator you had recently sent to us? It has proven to be quite effective in holding Alexander, until we are able to determine a means to remove the spirit of Bishamon from him."

"You're quite welcome. However, aside from the cover-up operation for this matter, there is something else I needed to discuss with you." Zed reached into an inner suit pocket and pulled out a small photo. He then handed it to Integra for her to inspect.

"What is this?" She asked as she looked on an image of a starry background.

"That image was taken by one of our deep space monitoring stations at the Outer Rim of the Andromeda Galaxy before the station was destroyed. And we've also begun receiving reports from several alien races that their space armadas were being decimated by some destructive force. You see that red dot in the middle? Our most advanced sensors detected energy readings that were off the charts. We can't even determine what is causing such a disruptive field. We only know one thing about it."

"What's that?"

"Just before we lost contact with the Andellians, the closest alien race in that sector, we received a garbled message from them. We only managed to decode one word; we think it might a name."

"And that name is?"

"Pyron."

* * *

Back in Paris

"It is time for one of the most awaited fights of the tournament! And now, for ze last quarter-final bout in ze adult division, let me introduce the combatants!" The referee announced from a microphone.

In the crowds, hundreds of well-known fighters who had been eliminated from competition cheered and applauded as the two combatants entered the ring. Even though it was illegal, there were numerous side bets being taken. Sitting near one of the corners of the ring, several competitors from the Junior Division were also part of the spectators, including Matthew Talbain and Nabiki Tendo.

Normally, the middle daughter of Soun Tendo would be involved in the gambling, but since traveling with the Talbains, she had no need to make any extra money. The trip and all expenses were going to be paid in full, and back in Japan, her family's account was well in the black for at least a month, (though she would later learn that Akane's antics had spent most of the generous donations).

For the moment, both she and Matthew were given the chance to watch two of the greatest fighters in the world go at it. Since there would be a short period before the quarter-finals of the Junior Division, they decided to cheer on Terry and Ryu.

In one corner of the ring, Terry stretched and warmed up by throwing a few practice punches and kicks. He had just defeated Guile and Cammy, and was going up against one of the most well-known practitioners of karate. This would be one of the few fights in which he would have to go all out.

Standing just outside of the ring, Jon gave his friend a wave and called out to him.

"I expect to see you at the finals Terry!"

"_OKAY!_" Andy's brother replied as his held up his right fist in a kind of tough guy salute.

On the other side, Ken cheered on his friend and rival.

"Go get him Ryu! Make Master Gouken proud!"

The Japanese fighter nodded as he continued to gaze upon his opponent. After beating Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia, he was looking forward to facing off against Bogard. Like many others, he had heard about the legendary Hungry Wolf of Southtown. Despite his easy-going appearance, Ryu could sense Terry's inner power and gauged his skill level. He could also sense his rival's drive in the martial arts, which mirrored his own. This would be a match to remember all his life.

At the judges' stand, Jubei Yamada nodded as he studied both fighters.

'_Hmmm, this could go either way. Ryu Hoshi happens to practice one of the strongest versions of Shotokan Karate. He's got excellent ki control and I can see very little in terms of gaps in his defense. Then again, Terry's no slouch in receiving or dishing out damage. Well, let us see if Tung Fu Rue's student can match up against Gouken's._'

The referee first gestured to Ryu's corner and introduced him.

"In zis corner, I am pleased to introduce form Japan the World Warrior the Dragon of the East representing all schools of Shotokan Karate _RYU HOSHI!_"

There was a tremendous cheer from the crowds as Ryu stepped forward and gave his admirers a solemn bow. Then the referee pointed to the other side of the ring.

"And in zis corner, I am also proud to present from America the original King of Fighters the Hungry Wolf of Southtown representing the Hakyouku Saikken School of Martial Arts as well as many other styles _TERRY BOGARD!_

An equally thunderous round of applause and cheers came from the crowds as Terry also stepped up. Then the entire stadium became silent as the two faced each other with less than a meter separating them. Then Jubei stood up from his seat, raised his right hand and cried out one word

"_FIGHT!_"

To be continued

Author's Notes

Sorry I have to cut it here, but the chapter was getting too long so you'll have to wait until next time. After the fight, we'll see the end of the tournament and the next leg in Nabiki's quest to become a full-fledged werewolf. As for the plight of the Tendo family back home, well let's just say that things are going to be really rough for a while. See you then!

(1) Technical Knock Out.

(2) Hugo Andore is probably number one in terms of sheer muscle and brute force of all the Street Fighters. What he lacks in speed and finesse, he makes up for it by just powering through his opponents. I've played Hugo in Street Fighter III the Third Strike, and I actually made it to the second-last level just by repeatedly hitting the punch and kick buttons.

(3) Hon-Fu's special move which can hit as fast as Jon's Million Flicker move, but if you miss the move it will cause him to comically strike his groin. 


	16. Chapter 15: World Tour Part 4

**The Beast Within**

Disclaimer: The Darkstalkers, Ranma , Hellsing and whatever else in this story belong to someone else. What a pity.

' ': Thoughts

**Chapter 15**

**World Tour Part 4**

**And The Winner is**

"_BURN KNUCKLE!_"

Terry Bogard's ki-energized fist plowed through the sturdy defenses of his opponent, knocking him back toward the edge of the ring. Though in considerable pain, Ryu rolled with the impact and was back on his feet in less than a heartbeat. He followed through with his own ki technique, thrusting his hands forward as if he was holding a ball.

"_HADOUKEN!_"

A blue-white fireball of inner energy rocketed toward the Hungry Wolf. Terry slammed a fist to the floor of the ring, releasing his own ki projectile.

"_POWER WAVE!_"

A reddish-orange blast shot along the ground toward the World Warrior. Both shots passed each other and screamed toward their destinations. Rather than try to block the attack, Ryu leapt high to avoid it. Terry's blast exploded against the ring's edge, but missed his intended target. His rival's technique however, hit Bogard square on.

Terry gritted his teeth as he held up his arms and took the full force of the impact. He was driven back several feet and glimpsed the sight of Ryu coming down in a jumping kick. He swerved to the right to avoid the extended foot, and then swung himself around in a vertical spin kick.

"_CRACK SHOT!_"

Ryu realized that he couldn't stop his forward momentum in time, and violently turned in midair in a counter-blocking attempt. He managed to twist enough so that Terry's foot hit against his side instead of his upper body, but the force was still enough to knock him down hard into the ring floor. Then Bogard followed through with several solid punches to the chest and head, which knocked loose a couple of fillings.

'_Damn! Bogard hits harder than Ken! But I can hit hard too!_'

"_SHORYUKEN!_"

Because he was too close, Terry was unable to block in time and took the full force of Ryu's Dragon Uppercut. He went flying upward and headed toward the other side of the ring. He just barely hung onto to consciousness and flipped in midair, landing on the inside of the ropes, preventing a ring-out. He shook his head to clear it, rubbed his sore jaw and watched as his opponent land on the opposite side. The Japanese man was slightly off-balance from the pounding he had received.

The legendary fighters faced each other down as the crowds cheered around them. However, neither one noticed as each man's attention was focused only on the person in front of him. The fight had only begun two minutes ago, but as far as Terry and Ryu were concerned, it was already an eternity.

For Ryu, it was a rare moment in his warrior's life, to face such a formidable adversary.

'_Strong! He's _VERY_ strong! He could possibly be the strongest opponent I've faced! There's no doubt that he's got the advantage in raw power. He's only slightly slower than me, but he can take a lot of punishment. His attacks are fast and fierce, just like a wolf! He truly is the Hungry Wolf!_'

For Terry, he was also considering this to be a fight to remember forever.

'_Ow! I can see why they call him the World Warrior! He took some of my best shots and kept on going! That uppercut of his almost broke my jaw. He's got good speed and has fewer openings in his defense than Ken Masters. He has the same style of Shotokan Karate as Ken, but he not as reckless. Okay, so this just means that I'm going to have to go all out._'

Then both combatants had the same thought in their minds.

'_In order to win, I must fight him at _FULL STRENGTH_!_'

At that moment, both men charged in at top speed, each preparing to unleash his strongest techniques against the other.

In Tokyo

Kasumi shook her head as she tallied up the household expenses. Normally Nabiki would be taking care of the finances, but with her traveling abroad, it fell to the eldest Tendo girl to manage the money matters. Initially, it had been quite easy, thanks to the generous donations given from Johnny Talbane to the Tendo family bank account. The amounts that had been deposited were more than enough to keep the family and their houseguests financially sound for at least two months.

However, due to the disasters with the Miracle Hair Grow Formula and its antidote, nearly all of the money had been depleted in less than 16 days. This included house repairs and huge amounts of air fresheners, cleansers and disinfectants in a futile attempt to rid the unworldly stench her younger sister had created. As a result, the family might have to survive on instant ramen noodles until the next time Talbane sent another payment.

Kasumi didn't like the idea of asking for more money so soon after the last deposit, but with no regular source of income and a houseguest that ate like an elephant, she couldn't think of any other alternative.

'_How did Nabiki balance the books? It just doesn't add up!_'

In the past, the elder Tendo girl had never asked her younger sibling how she had gotten the money to keep their family from ending up on the streets, since Kasumi had always thought it was none of her business. Though she had her suspicions, she had kept her thoughts to herself. Her job was to keep the household in order, while Nabiki took care of the financial ends and Akane was the heir to the Tendo Anything Goes.

It was then that there was a knock at the front door. Putting aside the bills for the moment, she walked over toward the entrance and was greeted by a young man she was acquainted with. He happened to be one of the city council's messengers, who had often contacted Soun Tendo for meetings and other events. This time however, he was bringing bad tidings for the family and their houseguests.

Due to the rising numbers of complaints from the neighbors, the city council was banishing the Tendos from Nerima until they could get rid of their stench.

Kasumi could only sigh as the messenger departed. Dr. Tofu had yet to create an antidote for Akane's kitchen disaster and now they were being forced from their home. Though technically, the eldest Tendo girl was exempt from the decree, since she didn't possess the unworldly smell. However, she knew that her father and sister wouldn't be able to take care of things on their own. Heaven knows, along with Mr. Saotome, they wouldn't survive another one of Akane's cooking attempts.

Kasumi would have to look after them until they were finally rid of that demonic odor.

The French King of Fighters Tournament

"Go get him, Master Ryu!" Sakura cheered from the sidelines.

"Show him the best of Master Gouken's training!" Ken applauded.

On the other side of the ring, Andy and Mai shouted out their encouragement to the Lone Wolf.

"Go get him Terry!" The sexy ninja shout.

"Make Master Tung proud!" Terry's brother cried out.

In the center of the ring, both combatants were a bit battered after slugging it out for the last few minutes. Ryu was slightly worse off than Bogard as the American's punches packed quite a bit more power compared to the Japanese fighter. However, Terry was starting to feel somewhat unsteady and was slow to react as his opponent lifted off the ground and spun about with one leg extended.

"_TATSUMAKI-SEMPUU-KYAKU!_"

'_Oh crud!_'

Terry managed to block the first few kicks, but the remainder got through and smashed him down. He recovered during the fall, rolled into a handspring and countered with a vertical leg thrust.

Ryu was still spinning and was unable to stop in time as Terry's kick connected with the World Warrior's chin, lifting him straight up. Gouken's pupil now felt the equivalent of his Dragon Uppercut as his rival rocketed upward in a corkscrewing motion.

"_RISING TACKLE!_"

In addition to the kick, Terry lashed out with several spinning punches, knocking Ryu away and opening the distance between them. The Asian combatant landed sloppily on his feet, while his foe also made a rough touchdown.

The two got back into a ready stance as they began to breathe heavily. The crowds continued to cheer and applaud as both strove to outperform the other. Then Terry began to bring out the heavy artillery as he got into a new stance and started to focus his inner energies.

Ryu immediately detected the massive buildup of ki and decided to match his adversary with a high-powered version of his Hurricane Kick. He jumped up and started to spin even more ferociously than the last time.

"_SHINKUU-TATSUMAKI-SEMPUU-KYAKU!_"

Unlike the normal Hurricane Kick, this upgraded version caused a huge suction force, which would draw in an opponent without having to risk charging him. It also hit with several times the speed and impact. However, Ryu did not take into account Terry's determination to hold firm as he continued to draw in energy. As a result, the World Warrior was quite surprised when the Hungry Wolf let loose with his own technique.

"_HADO-SENPUU-KYAKU!_"

Terry spun about and was enveloped in a massive column of wind currents. When the two collided, both became obscured in twin tornadoes, each battling against each other. The whole building shuddered under the combined wind currents. It looked as if it was a draw, but Ryu was first to be thrown out and impacted hard against the ropes, nearly snapping them and falling out of bounds. The Hungry Wolf came out of his spin and slammed a fist to the mat.

"_POWER WAVE!_"

This time, the ki projectile hit dead on as Ryu was still a little dazed from the last attack. Sagat's rival tensed up and stood his ground as the Power Wave slammed into him like a speeding truck. To say that it was painful would have been a gross understatement. Just after barely shrugging off the blast, Ken's training partner saw Terry charge in with a glowing fist.

"_BURN KNUCKLE!_"

"_HADOUKEN!_"

At point-blank range, Terry was slammed back after taking Ryu's Fireball in the torso. However, he stayed on his feet as they again faced off.

"Almost(pant) had you that time." The fighter from Southtown remarked. "You're just as good as they say."

Ryu nodded to his foe in respect as well. "You are also (gasp) worthy of your reputation. How did you know of the Hurricane Kick?"

"Actually it's just a move (pant) that I came up with from my Master's original technique. "

"You do your Master proud."

"You do as well. Shall we continue?"

"By all means!"

Again the two fighters clashed together as the fight began to near its climax. Blow after blow was exchanged in rapid succession as the battle intensified. Then the conflict began to shift in Terry's favor as he drove his foe back.

Ryu felt himself waning both in strength and stamina. Although he was landing several good hits, his opponent was landing more. As a hard cross to the chin, followed by several quick jabs and a bone-shattering roundhouse connected, he realized that was losing in this contest of close-quarters. Terry had the distinct advantage in sheer muscle power as he battered through Ryu's diminishing defense. The Japanese man may have been called one of the ultimate street fighters, but his opponent had been born, raised and forged on the harshest, most unforgiving areas of Southtown. He wasn't even letting Ryu have a moment to pull off his more powerful attacks. Terry's tactic was brutal, simple but extremely effective as he focused on wearing his opponent down.

On the sidelines, Matthew nodded as he spoke to his girlfriend.

"Ryu's in trouble now."

"What's wrong?" Nabiki asked. "He's slowing down and he isn't blocking as much."

"Ryu's fighting style relies on powerful, but fast strikes and he's needs a little distance. Terry's not letting him get far enough and his opponent is making the mistake of trying to match Terry in a brawl. If there's one thing I know about the Hungry Wolf, it's that you should never let him sucker you into a slugfest. If Ryu doesn't do something and quick, Terry's just going to power through until Ryu's beaten to a pulp. He doesn't have the same kind of endurance Terry got from growing up in Southtown."

"Is it really that bad over there?"

"Let me put it to you this way. The postman is too scared to go there. The cops give that place a wide berth, and any workman's comp or insurance you have will be no good if you get hurt or killed there. They won't cover it. You'll go down as a suicide. "

"Kami-sama!"

"Dad and I visited that place once, and let me tell you. At times, we were forced to go into our hybrid forms. Fortunately, whatever happens in Southtown, _STAYS_ in Southtown. We didn't have to worry about our secret being exposed to the world."

As several more hits connected, Ken's training partner realized he needed to get some distance. Then he felt a very large burst of ki emanating from his adversary.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh?"

"_BUSTER WOLF!_"

The sudden, unexpected question left Ryu unprepared for the next attack. An ultra-powered version of Terry's Burn Knuckle technique came streaking at him. Ryu brought his arms up in a cross-block and winced as he felt his bones begin to fracture. Then a burst of ki followed the strike, blasting him so hard that he hit the ropes with enough force to cause the turnbuckles and corner posts to fail. The ropes fell away behind him, but he managed to stay on his feet. If Terry were to press the attack, there would be nothing to save Ryu from being knocked out of bounds.

Terry charged in to finish the fight.

Ryu knew that he didn't much left and needed to put this fight away. Rearing back with his cupped hands, he put nearly every last bit of remaining ki he had and let loose with a mind-blowing beam of energy.

"_SHINKUU-HADOUKEN!_"

The blast would have reduced a tank to scrap metal if it had connected. Terry had anticipated the move and leapt over the beam while powering up his fist. The beam continued on and blasted an enormous hole in one of the outer walls. The support beams strained and came close to caving in. Spectators had to duck in order to avoid the attack. But Terry was only focused on his opponent as he descended.

"_POWER DUNK!_"

However, as the Hungry Wolf came down, Ryu smirked. This time his foe had fallen into the trap as he would not be able to dodge this final attack!

"_SHIN-SHORYUKEN!_"

As if almost in slow motion, Ryu parried the Terry's burning strike, slammed his other fist into Terry's gut, then shot upwards in a double-hit that nearly took the Hungry Wolf's head off.

The attack was so devastating that the impacts reverberated around the arena. Terry hit the mat on his back with a tremendous thump. For a long while, he didn't move as the crowds went silent. It looked as if the match was finally over as Jubei stood up and raised his hand. However, just as he was about to announce Ryu the winner, Terry groaned and started to stir. To the amazement of all those present, Andy Bogard's brother staggered to his feet and got into a basic stance. However, he was in horrible shape as he started to cough up a bit of blood and was trembling badly.

Of those who were shocked at the moment, none were as dumbfounded as Ryu. He couldn't believe it. Terry had actually taken on the full force of his strongest technique and was able to get up! But he saw that his opponent would not be able to withstand even a weak attack at this point in the fight. He was barely able to stand. It would be so easy to throw one Fireball and finish him off. Even Dan Hibiki's lame Gadouken would do the trick. There was just one problem.

Ryu's ki reserves were depleted. Terry had pushed him to the utmost limits and projecting ki at this point was impossible. However, that still did not mean the World Warrior couldn't do anything. Summoning up his remaining strength he leapt up and spun toward the Southtown fighter one final time.

"_TATSUMAKI-SEMPUU-KYAKU!_"

Back in Japan

"_IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU AND YOUR STINK LEFT!_" One of the neighbors cried out as Soun hefted his backpack. Beside him, Genma and Akane stood in their training outfits, both weighed down with packs of their own. The youngest Tendo growled and just barely managed not to retaliate against the snickering onlookers and bystanders.

This wasn't her fault, she kept on telling herself.

Kasumi carried a duffle bag with all the essentials, a wheeled-upright suitcase, and was dressed conservatively in a simple ensemble of a sundress and sensible shoes. Like her sister Nabiki, this would be her first trip traveling abroad, though she wished it was under better circumstances. She had left all the necessary notes for the utility and delivery men if they were to come while they were absent. She had also left a note for 'Ranma', should he somehow find his way back to the Tendo home.

She took a deep breath and began to follow her family and Mr. Saotome as they headed out of town.

Unbeknownst to them, they did have someone looking out for them. A man in a black suit, tie and sunglasses stood in the shadows of a nearby building and watched intently as the Tendo family and their guest departed. He then took out a small communicator and began contacting his superiors.

Before leaving Japan, Jon Talbain had asked the MIB to keep an eye on Nabiki's family while she was traveling with him and his son.

Back in Paris, France

Terry Bogard was in trouble.

His body ached in several places, and he was pretty certain he had some internal damage. His arms felt like they were weighed down like lead and he was on the verge of blacking out. Not since those fights with Wolfgang Krauser and the God of War did he feel such pain. Now Ryu was spinning toward him in an attack that the Hungry Wolf had no hope of withstanding.

"_THIS IS THE END!"_

Just as Ryu shouted out and was about to connect, Terry found one final burst of strength as his eyes glowed red, and he slammed his right fist into the mat.

"_POWER GEYSER!_"

The arena shook once again as a tremendous blast of ki exploded from where he struck. Ryu was unable to evade as he, Terry and everything inside the fighting area was enveloped. The entire audience was blinded, as people dove for cover. Debris flew everywhere as the ring collapsed in on itself. The whole structure of the building threatened to follow suit. In fact, the roof of the area blew off its foundations and shattered into several dozens of pieces.

Finally, the light of the attack faded away as the spectators began to pick themselves out of the ruins of the arena. All eyes focused on the center of the now devastated ring. Only one figure stood inside of it.

Terry Bogard's eyes were glazed and had an empty look to them. He was bleeding in several places and his clothes were tattered and burned. His face was swollen with several bruises. He stood unmoving and unresponsive. Then, like a mighty oak that had finally been worn down by a determined lumberjack, he fell forward

_**THUMP!**_

Terry dropped face down onto the mat and lapsed into unconsciousness. His signature cap fell off his head and softly landed near him.

A spectator cried out and all attention turned toward the voice.

"He's out! He's out cold!" Sakura said as she jumped up and down in excitement. "That means Master Ryu won!"

There were several initial cheers from Ryu's fans, but were immediately halted as another voice rang out.

"No, I'm afraid not!"

The new voice was recognized as Jubei Yamada's as he stood up from the remnants of the Judges' Stand. He pointed over to a spot some fifty feet away from the ring. In an empty area behind the spectator seats was Ryu, lying on his back and also knocked out. The upper part of his gi had been torn to pieces and he had several large cuts and bruises all over his torso. His legs were badly singed and his left ankle was at an odd angle, showing that it was broken, most likely from the landing.

"I managed to see what happened during those last few seconds"

Flashback

Ryu was taken completely by surprise as a massive wall of ki smashed into him like a runaway freight train. He had no idea that his foe could summon up such an attack at this point in the match, and realized it was some kind of last-ditch or desperation move. Ryu's entire body was ravaged by the blast and he found himself being thrown clear from the ring. He felt his consciousness slip away, and knew that the battle over.

However, he had no regrets and was thankful that he had faced such a worthy opponent. He hoped that he would fight against Bogard again in the future, and was inspired to train even harder for that day. At that point, darkness claimed him as his body met with the floor. At the same time, he glimpsed a final image of Terry falling down.

In the ring, Terry shared the same thoughts as he felt himself pitching forward. He had absolutely nothing left. Not many people had driven him to his utmost ability as Ryu had. The last thing he saw was his opponent landing on the ground just before he blacked out.

End of Flashback

"That last noise you heard was actually both Ryu and Terry hitting the floor at the same time." The judo master explained. "I could tell that both were unconscious at that point."

"So it's a draw?" Sakura asked hopefully.

Yamada shook his head again. "Technically it _IS_ a draw, since both can't fight anymore and are out cold. " Jubei first pointed to Terry. "However, Terry Bogard managed to stay IN the ring." He then pointed to Ryu. "Ryu Hoshi didn't. Both got a KO, but Ryu also got a ring-out."

He then addressed the audience.

"Both fought with honor and are inspirations to us all! However, in accordance to the rules of this tournament, I hereby declare Terry Bogard as the winner!" (1)

The crowds cheered both combatants as medical teams swarmed in. In the distance, sirens were heard as fire trucks and police cars approached the devastated arena.

Later, at a nearby hospital

"I'm sorry that I can't keep our promise to meet you in the finals Johnny." Terry said sadly as he lay in a hospital bed. He had several bandages wrapped about his chest and arms. "Since it'll take me a few days, maybe even a couple of weeks before I'm fully recovered, I've been disqualified."

Jon smiled and gave his friend a pat on the shoulder. "I'm sorry we couldn't get to fight as well, but it doesn't really matter since there won't be any finals."

"What?"

The werewolf had a rueful smile on his face as he explained. "Remember that desperation move of yours? That and Ryu's techniques pretty much destroyed the arena. The authorities have evacuated all civilians and competitors, and declared it a disaster area. The tournament has been called off since they're worried about public safety. Frankly speaking, I don't blame them. Besides, there's no trophy for anyone, since that got blown apart as well.

Jon reached into a pocket and took out a small fragment of metal.

"This was just about all I could find out of the rubble."

He then placed it back into his pocket, just as there was a knock at the door.

As Terry allowed the visitors to enter, he was pleasantly surprised to see that it was his rival and several others, including his brother, Mai and Sakura. Ryu was being pushed about on a wheelchair with his leg in a cast. After making brief introductions with all those present, he addressed his opponent.

"Ryu! Good to see you up and about. Good to see everyone too!"

The World Warrior nodded as he motioned for Sakura to push him toward Terry's bedside. He held out his hand, which the Hungry Wolf took and shook it.

"Good match, my friend. I hear they gave the win."

"That was just a fluke!" Ryu's greatest fan chirped. "He only won by a technicality!"

"Shush, Sakura! He did knock me out of the ring, so it is my loss. And you should know that a true warrior learns from his defeats as well as his victories."

"It's not exactly the way I wanted to win." Terry said. "And I look forward to the time when we have our next match. Then we'll truly see who the better fighter is."

"Indeed. I shall look forward to it as well. Until then, let's promise to train hard for that day."

Jon nodded as he moved up and said, "Well, I suppose it's time for me and my group to get going again. Terry, Ryu, everyone until the next time."

Jon walked out of the hospital and met up with his son and Nabiki, as they prepared to head to the airport.

"So everything's okay with Bogard?" Matthew asked.

"Everything's fine. I must admit that was one incredible match. It sometimes amazes me how far humankind can go without the help of magic or curses. The human will is quite extraordinary. I daresay that Terry and Ryu could even go toe-to-toe with Darkstalkers."

"What about the medallion fragment?" Nabiki inquired.

Jon took out the piece of metal in his pocket again, which happened to be the fragment they had been searching for.

"I'm not at all surprised this was the only trophy piece that withstood the blast, though it wasn't the way I wanted to obtain it. I really did want to go up against my old friend or even Ryu Hoshi. Still, Nabiki's situation is more important and we still have 10 pieces to go."

"Speaking of going, where are we off to now?" The short-haired girl asked.

"Well, let's have a look shall we?" Jon gestured to a nearby private limo that had been waiting for them in the parking lot. As soon they got in and the windows were closed, the elder Talbain took out the Luna Eye gem and the map. Just as he flashed the jewel above the incomplete medallion, it immediately sent out a beam of light toward a spot on the map.

The Tendo girl took one look and gave her traveling companions a confused expression.

"Are you sure this thing is accurate?"

"I have no reason to doubt it." Jon replied.

"Okay, then check the expiration dates on these fragments, because they're pointing to spot in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean!"

"Not just any spot Nabs." Matthew corrected then turned to his father. "Are we calling in Kalesse on this one?"

His father nodded while deep in thought. "We might need Bob's help as well. Shinko might be interested too."

"Kalesse? Bob? Shinko? You mean that mermaid, Loch Ness monster and kappa I saw back at Castle Talbain?" Nabiki said in still utter confusion.

"Actually Kalesse is an undine, Bob is a species of plesiosaur that didn't quite become extinct, and Shinko. (Come to think of it) is a freshwater kappa, so the sea salt may not agree with him. In any case, we're going to need the assistance of our water-based Darkstalkers to retrieve the next fragment."

"So it really is at a spot at the bottom of the Atlantic?"

"Well, in the beginning it wasn't at the bottom of the ocean. In fact, it was one of Earth's most advanced civilizations at the time. It was a great place for trading, scientific discoveries and even magic, believe it or not. In fact, they came across ideals in mathematics and technology even before the time of Archimedes. Of course, this was way back in 9600 B.C. and the civilization no longer exits."

"What was this place called?"

"Its real name was Lemuria."

"Lemuria?"

"You know it better as Atlantis." Matthew explained.

"_ATLANTIS?_"

"That's right Nabs." The younger werewolf turned to his father. "So do you think Rikuo is going to let us look around his kingdom? I mean, he was kind of mad at us the last time."

"It's not my fault that Kalesse refused his marriage proposal."

"Uhm, excuse me who are we talking about?" Nabiki asked in confusion.

"We're talking about the current ruler of the Kingdom of Atlantis. He's a species of merfolk named Rikuo." Jon filled in.

"What kingdom? He's the only one there!" Matthew pointed out.

The elder lycanthrope nodded as he continued with the explanations. "You see Nabiki, when Atlantis sank ten thousand years ago; a race of merfolk made it their home. However, during a recent underwater quake, nearly all the population was wiped out. Rikuo is the last of his kind and he was pretty eager to carry on his species. So when he proposed to Kalesse and she refused him, he became very uhh perturbed."

"In other words, he got really mad at being shot down and told us to never again darken his ocean doorstep." Nabiki's boyfriend translated. "But since we do need that medallion fragment, we've got no choice, do we Dad?"

Jon let off a tired sigh before taking out his cell phone. "She's not going to be happy to hear this." Just before he began to dial, the device started to ring, indicating an incoming call. Puzzled, he answered the phone.

"Talbain here. Ah, good to hear from you Zed. How are things? Yes, I remember asking you to keep an eye on them. What? What happened? Are you certain? How could that be? Oh come now, _NO ONE is THAT_ stupid. Oh. So he really _IS_ that foolhardy. Well, I suppose I should have expected something like that to happen. However, that second package I sent should have taken care of that problem. What? What do you mean? I don't believe this! They're where now? All right. I'll see what I can do on my end. Please keep me informed of any further developments. Thank you, Zed. Goodbye."

After hanging up his cell phone, he addressed his Tendo disciple.

"Nabiki, do you remember that Miracle Hair Grow shampoo you got from the Joketsuzoku Village?"

"Yes. I remember Shampoo and Cologne warning me about the side-effects when I sent that bottle to my home. Mr. Saotome had requested it. He shouldn't have had any problems if he read that warning label."

"Well the thing is he didn't bother to check the label and dumped the entire contents onto his head."

Jon's son snorted in disdain. "Tch. Figures Pops would do that. That moron didn't even bother to read the Neko Ken manual before throwing me into that pit."

Jon Talbain's eyes narrowed in anger as he remembered the state Matthew had been in when he found him. "Yes, well I promise that he and I will have a reckoning on that matter." He turned to Nabiki. "I'm sorry to say, but it seems that a member of your family also has a problem with following instructions."

The middle Tendo daughter let off a groan as she knew whom Jon was referring to. "Let me guess. Akane tried to mix the Anti-Hair Grow formula, even though I specifically told in my message not to let her?"

"Apparently that is the case. She mixed some sort of variation to the recipe and it backfired on her, drastically it seems."

"So tell me. Did all of her hair fall out? Did she send Daddy and Mr. Saotome to the emergency ward to have their stomachs pumped? Did the house blow up?"

"She can't be _THAT_ bad in the kitchen, can she?" The younger Talbain asked in disbelief.

Nabiki shook her head and sighed. "Trust me, Akane IS that bad and then some. I don't know if my little sister is dyslexic or stubborn. She may be both, but she absolutely refuses to follow a recipe that's written right in front of her. She cooks in the same style as her martial arts; violent, sloppy, no control and plows on ahead like an icebreaker. She can't go a single minute without making some horrible mistake and the kitchen is normally a disaster area afterwards." She turned back to address Matthew's father. "So what happened?"

Jon took a deep breath before replying. "In answer to your question, yes she did lose her hair in the ensuing explosion, but she later got it back. The real problem is that she created one of the most disgusting odors ever smelled and now she, her father and Genma Saotome cannot get rid of it. She's been banned from attending Furinken High and your father lost his seat on the City Council. In fact, the smell is so overpowering that the city had decided to have them removed from the district. As of now, the Tendo family and Genma Saotome is in exile from Nerima."

To be continued

Author's Notes

The reasons why I decided to end the tournament now was because I was starting to lose direction on the main storyline, which was finding the medallion pieces for Nabiki. I was going off the beaten track with all the Capcom and SNK characters and this is supposed to be a Darkstalkers/Ranma crossover. With all the commotion the Terry/Ryu fight had, if we were to let Jon and Ranma go full out with their opponents, Paris might have been leveled. Don't worry though. The cast of Street Fighter and King of Fighters will return, as well as certain other characters as well. I just needed to move the story forward. Next up, we're going to visit a certain merman and we'll also see more on the plight of Nabiki's family. Stay tuned!

(1)Yeah, I know. All the Ryu fans out there are saying that he should have won, but just remember that this is just a fanfiction and Ryu only lost by the slimmest of margins and a technicality. Remember, even he's not unbeatable and this will only drive him to train even harder, which is what it's all about. In the end. 


	17. Chapter 16: World Tour Part 5

**The Beast Within**

Disclaimer: Ranma , Darkstalkers, Hellsing and all others belong to their respective creators. You know the rest.

' ': Thoughts

{ }: Russian

**Chapter 16**

**World Tour Part 5**

**Deep Water and Deeper Trouble**

"_NOOOOOOOOO! I WON'T DO IT! ALL THE ORCAS AND GIANT SQUID IN POSEIDON'S KINGDOM WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DRAG ME BACK TO ATLANTIS!_"

If ever the walls of Castle Talbain did shake with the howls of something other than a member of the lycanthrope clan living there, it was when Jon Talbain and his party returned home, and informed the resident Undine of where the next medallion fragment was.

Kalesse's outburst was heard even on the other side of the compound as Head Butler Dubroke was busy polishing some fine China plates. Her sudden scream had made him drop a very expensive piece. Letting off tired sigh, he asked for a broom and dustpan.

The maid named Alice soon came and handed him the requested implements. As they began to clean up the broken dinnerware, they quietly discussed the current events.

"I do wish Master Jon had informed Lady Kalesse about their next destination with more subtlety." The elderly butler mused.

"Subtlety is not one of the Master's strong points." The younger girl pointed out. "It's a trait that Young Master Matthew shares. In any case, I am very puzzled as to why Lady Kalesse would refuse to go the legendary Kingdom of Atlantis. I would think she would feel right at home. Is it really that bad?"

"On the contrary, my dear Alice, Atlantis is a wondrous place, where the answers to some of the world's greatest mysteries can be found. There are also incredible amounts of lost knowledge and untold riches there as well. The legacy of the Lemurian culture can be found in Atlantis."

"So why does Kalesse refuse to accompany the Masters to such a place?"

The loyal servant to the Talbain Clan chuckled slightly. "It's not so much as the place which has made her upset, but rather its current and only resident, the merman named Rikuo Aulbath."

* * *

"_NO!_ Absolutely not! I swore that I'd never return to Atlantis after that last time!"

Matthew's instructor in underwater tactics paced about like an angry, caged tiger. Like many of her kind, she had the ability to morph her fish tail into human legs. Currently she was dressed in her halter top, skirt and was barefoot.

Kalesse came from a warrior tribe of undines that had encountered the Talbain family in the year 1507 AD. Matthew's 16th great-grandfather, Simon Talbain, had saved them from a rampaging sea demon. Since that time, the water maidens had agreed to a pact and would train all future generations of lycanthropes in their aquatic battle moves. The sea fighter of Castle Talbain was quite adept at using the spear and trident, as well as manipulating water in various ways.

Jon took a deep breath as he tried to calm the undine down.

"Please Kalesse. I know how much you hate going there, but you're the only one who knows how to navigate those underwater caverns to get to the entranceway. It's only going to be a short time while I negotiate with King Rikuo of the Mermen and..."

"King Rikuo? Hah!" She remarked sarcastically. "Not my king! And he's more like an OCTOPUS than a proper merman! I want nothing to do with him, let alone MARRY him!"

"And I'm not asking you to accept his marriage proposal Kalesse, but we do need that medallion piece. Please Kalesse. We really need your help on this one."

Kalesse let off an exasperated sigh and nodded.

"As you know, I am honor-bound to aid the Talbain clan in return for the great deed your ancestor had done for my people. We have gladly trained the Talbains in our underwater battle techniques, but you strain that contract with this favor. Very well, but it will ONLY for a short time. Understood?"

"That's all I ask Kalesse and thank you."

* * *

At Lake Talbain

"Hey Shinko! How've you been?" Matthew asked as he approached the edge of the pier.

Swimming near the pier, the resident Kappa waved to his friend.

"Is Bob around?"

The Japanese water spirit nodded as he dunked his head underwater and let off a muffled gurgle. He then rose back up and swam back to the pier. Hopping up onto the deck, he waited for his fellow aquatic monster to appear.

Lake Talbain was actually a lot larger than it appeared as it was in reality, an entrance to a near-bottomless water dimension. It had to be big enough to house all the aquatic-type monsters that resided on Talbain's land. And you needed a lot room to keep a 250-foot mutated throwback from the Cretaceous Era happy.

Unknown to most people, the Loch Ness Monster was a member of an ancient species of evolved plesiosaurs, which were later known to man as the Leviathans. Unlike most of the other dinosaurs, the Leviathans managed to survive the Great Extinction by going into a state of suspended animation, which lasted well past the Ice Age, before the oceans were suitable enough to sustain them again.

However, Bob wasn't very fortunate, as the place he had decided to rest in was changed over the millennia, due to the retreating glaciers and changing landscape. When he finally awoke, he found himself trapped inside a secluded, landlocked lake with very little for food and nourishment. As a result, he had to periodically go into stasis and only awaken when he absolutely had to feed. This led to the fantastic sightings and stories about the monster of Loch Ness.

It was almost a godsend when the Talbain family had found him and brought him to Castle Talbain. Now he had all the room he could swim in and would never go hungry again. If he wanted to, he could visit his relatives in the deep oceans.

At the dock, Matthew and Shinko waited for minute, before Bob came shooting up to surface in a huge eruption of waves and splashes. He let of a roar as he reared his head back and swayed his long neck from side to side. Then he turned his attention toward the dock and recognized Jon Talbain's son.

"Hey Bob! You wanna go an ocean cruise?"

* * *

Meanwhile in the Talbain Family Museum

"Hey, I didn't see this the last time I was here." Nabiki pointed to an ornate medieval sword with some strange runes engraved on both sides of the blade. While her boyfriend was taking care of some business, she had decided to take another tour of the Talbain Museum and learn more about its history.

Grom the Gargoyle nodded as he explained the weapon in front of them.

"Ah lassie. Ye have a good eye. That be the crowning achievement of me great-uncle."

"The one that forged the swords of Jacob Talbain?"

"Right ye are. Me great-uncle be very proud to have made those blades for Master Jacob, but the one ye see now be legendary in human times."

"What do you mean?"

"That be the sword the humans call Excalibur."

"_EXCALIBUR?_ You mean _THE EXCALIBUR?_ The one that belonged to King Arthur?"

The winged caretaker nodded." That it be lassie. Some time abou' the 6th century or so, me great-uncle forged that blade and steeped it deeply in magic. But he later lost it due to some thievin' by some imps in the Makai. It later ended up in the human world and found by a sorceror named Merlin, a haflin' incubus. After Arthur's kingdom fell, Joseph Talbain got it from the Lady of the Lake and eventually brought it here fer safe keepin'."

Nabiki couldn't believe that she was gazing upon the legendary weapon of King Arthur. She started to reach for it, but Grom shook his head.

"Nay lassie. That sword is not meant for werewolf hands. No offendin' mind ye, but that sword be forged of orichalcum and lots of silver. Ye canna touch it."

The middle daughter of Soun Tendo nodded as she continued to gaze upon Exclaibur. She had no idea how involved Matthew's family was in human history.

* * *

A little later

"Well, it took some doing but she finally agreed to accompany us." Jon said as he met up with his son and his girlfriend at Castle Talbain's secret water port. The location was in the bottom of the cliff where the castle stood. It was connected to an underground channel that led to the Atlantic Ocean.

Matthew nodded as he also had some good news. "I talked to Bob and he wants to go out with us. He told me that he needs to hook up with some his relatives."

"Relatives?" Nabiki asked in confusion. "What kind of relatives does the Loch Ness Monster have?"

"I believe in history, they were called Leviathans." Matt's father supplied. "In any case, we could use the extra water muscle. However, since we're going to a place that happens to be two miles below the surface of the Atlantic, we're going to need some special transportation."

"Are we taking the Sea Wolf again?" The younger Talbain asked.

"What's the Sea Wolf?" Soun's daughter asked.

"That's our submarine."

"Submarine? You have your own sub?"

"Our family's rich enough and just because we happen to use a lot of magic, doesn't mean we can't take advantage of technology too. We certainly didn't ride on Bob's back going to Atlantis."

"Indeed." Jon affirmed. "However, I'm afraid that we won't be taking the Sea Wolf since it's currently in dry dock for maintenance and upgrades. However, that doesn't mean we can't take Sea Wolf II."

"Sea Wolf II?" Both teens asked in surprise.

The head of the Talbain Clan clapped his hands twice. In response to his signal, the hanger doors of the port opened up. The adolescents stood in awe on the docks as a huge vessel sailed out into the waterway.

The craft measured at least two hundred feet in length, and was about fifty feet high. It was cylindrical in shape and was colored white with gray highlights. The conning tower was built low but with smooth, curved lines. Emblazoned on the front and sides was the Talbain Family Crest.

Jon smiled as he gave an introduction of the new craft to the still-awestruck pair.

"Meet Sea Wolf II. She's capable of 40 knots on the surface and can dive up to 8 miles. Her entire structure is composed of the best grade titanium alloys, with a thin outer hull coating of orichalcum."

"Orichalcum? Isn't that the same metal Jacob Talbain's swords and Excalibur is made of?" Nabiki asked.

Jon gave her a long, appraising look, and then smiled. "You've been talking to Grom, haven't you? Yes, you are correct. Sea Wolf II is protected not only from the crushing depths, but it's highly resistant to any magical attacks. It took Grom's clan more than two years to forge that outer hull. You might say we've combined the best of science with the supernatural. So are we ready to get underway?"

"We're going now?"

"The sooner we get that medallion fragment, the sooner we can get your lycanthropy under control. I figured that a trip to Atlantis would be a good opportunity to work out any bugs in the systems and give Sea Wolf II a proper shakedown."

"You mean this sub hasn't gone out to sea yet?"

"This will be her maiden voyage. Don't worry though. The sub has been certified as one hundred percent seaworthy and has triple-redundancy systems to take care of any and all kinds of emergencies. And she can defend herself if need be. So if you would please follow me, we can get this show on the road."

* * *

A few minutes later on the bridge

Nabiki was a bit uneasy as she sat in her chair behind Jon and his son, who were in the pilot and co-pilot's seat respectively. Sitting beside her was Kalesse. Akane's sister looked about in wonder of the high-tech surrounding her and could only barely comprehend the cost to build this craft. As the two werewolves went through their pre-launch checklists, she couldn't help but reminisce about the past weeks and how far she had gone since she had met Matthew Talbain; Jusenkyo, a Chinese Amazon village, England, Castle Talbain, Stonehenge, France and now she was going to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean to see the legendary Kingdom of Atlantis!

Her boyfriend looked over his shoulder and gave her a smile.

"Feeling okay Nabs?"

"I'll be fine. I just feel like I'm inside the Nautilus in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Either that or I've stepped into an episode of that American anime Johnny Quest."

"Personally, I liked the older, original series." Kalesse remarked. "Especially that episode with the fish monster."

"Floodgates have been activated." Jon announced. "Waterway is clear of obstructions and we have been given the green light to leave port." He turned to his offspring. "Take us out son."

"You can pilot a submarine?" Nabiki asked in surprise.

Matthew shrugged as he took hold of the control wheel. "It's a lot easier than getting a driver's license. There's a lot more space and a lot less to hit out in the Atlantic."

The Sea Wolf II powered up its drive turbines as its impellor blades began to spin. The massive craft moved forward with a smooth, even pace. There was nary a sound as its advanced audio suppressors did their job. In under a minute the submarine made its way through the channel and was soon on its way in the open waters. Lagging a few hundred meters behind the technological marvel, a very large form glided through the watery depths.

Through a secret tunnel near the bottom of Lake Talbain, the Loch Ness Monster, otherwise known as Bob to the other non-human inhabitants, followed behind his benefactors.

As Nabiki sat in her seat and marveled at how smoothly the sub ran, she began to wonder how her family was doing, now that they were exiled. Even though Jon Talbain assured her that the MIB would keep an eye on them, she couldn't help but worry for their well-being.

* * *

Somewhere deep in the mountains

"_HYAH!_"

Akane grumbled as she cut firewood with her karate chop. It had been two days since her family and Genma had been banished from Nerima and later Tokyo itself, and at this point she was just about fed up with the entire situation. She still wouldn't admit that the whole affair was just about all her fault.

At first, the group had tried to register at a hotel, but as soon as the other guests and staff smelled their odor, the Tendos and Mr. Saotome were immediately evicted. Word spread quickly and no hotel or inn would allow them admittance, with the exception of Kasumi. However, the eldest daughter still felt it was her responsibility to look after her family and guest until the crisis was over. As a consequence, they all ended up camping in a remote, mountainous area far from civilization.

Things would have been even tougher with a dwindling cash supply if Kasumi hadn't contacted Nabiki and explained the situation. Jon Talbain had generously donated a very large amount of money to the Tendo family bank account, on the condition that the only sensible member of the clan would be able to withdraw any of it. This meant that Kasumi would have to go into town for food and supplies on her own. However, Jon had also flown in several members of his house staff to look after the Tendos and Genma. At present, Kasumi had the aid and company of two Talbain maids and a couple of bodyguards. When asked why they weren't offended by Akane and the other's stench, they simply explained they had no sense of smell or taste whatsoever.

What no one knew at the time, was that the newcomers were actually under a magical spell, cast by the Grimbard Witch Sisters, to ward away any unearthly smells and hexes. Currently, the trio of magic users was trying to find an antidote to Akane's haphazard attempt of the Anti-Hair Grow Formula. Despite having more than two hundred and fifty years of potion-making under their belts, they were practically bamboozled over how a mere mortal girl could have created such a perplexing and incomprehensible mixture.

* * *

At Castle Talbain

"No Girella!" Parelle the eldest sister insisted as she and her younger sibling argued over a bubbling cauldron. "I am certain that you must use _FOUR_ teaspoons of powdered weasel gizzards to counter the effects of the powdered butterfly wings!"

"But the problem is that the foolish girl did not _USE_ powdered butterfly wings as the recipe stated! According to what the report said, she used _POWDERED SUGAR!_" Girella argued back.

Nearby, the youngest of the three, Tyselli was hunched over a lab table; looking at a sample of Akane's concoction with a microscope and punching away with a pocket calculator. When the Tendo home was repaired, an MIB agent had managed to obtain a small amount of the unorthodox formula for study. Even though the sisters were experts in magic, they did see the advantages of using scientific instruments when available.

Tyselli looked up from the eyepiece and remarked, "I can barely identify _HALF_ of the components of this sample! How could _ANYONE_ botch such a simple anti-hair remedy?"

Parelle and Girella shrugged their shoulders. The Chinese Amazon Anti-Hair Grow Formula was actually a derivative of one of the Grimbard's recipes. In fact, the sisters had a few relatives in the Amazon Matriarch Council. Over the centuries, due to the pact between the Talbains and the warrior women, the Sisters had been exchanging potions and their ingredients with the tribe.

However, despite their vast combined knowledge, they still weren't able to determine a counter-potion to the one Akane had created. Even the MIB labs were having a hard time analyzing it.

This was going to take a while.

* * *

Back in the woods

As Akane was preparing the wood for the fire to cook lunch, her father and Genma were once again involved in a game of shogi. As they sat on opposing tree stumps with the shogi board between them, they began to reminisce of their past days of training under their dread master.

"Ah Tendo, this brings me back to the old days. Remember how we trained together in the wilderness like this?"

"Indeed Saotome! Though I cannot say that those were the happiest days of lives. How I shudder to think of the torture our dread master"

"Don't say his name!" Genma cried out quickly and he waved his hands frantically.

Soun nodded as he didn't want to jinx their luck any worse than it already was. "Not to worry my friend. 'He-whose-name-must-never-be-uttered' has been sealed away forever! We made certain of that!"

Genma let off a sigh of relief. "It's kind of ironic Tendo. Just one mile north of here is the very spot where the greatest evil in all of Japan lies buried."

"Yes. And it's been well over ten years since that day. Say, I have a thought Saotome. Since tomorrow is the anniversary of that time, should we go over there and pay our respects to him?"

There was a long silence between the two as it appeared they were actually serious. Then the two burst into laughter, shook their heads and said simultaneously

"_NAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!_"

At that moment, Genma reached over to pick up a glass of iced tea that Kasumi had left for him previously. However just as he put his hand on it, the glass mysteriously developed a crack and started leaking tea and ice water. At almost the same time, a crow suddenly dropped dead from a nearby tree, which was noticed by Soun and his friend. Both began to tremble as they recognized the signs as bad omens.

"Saotome you don't suppose?"

As quick as he was to recognize signs of coming misfortune, Genma was just as quick to deny it, like everything else in his life.

"Oh come on Tendo! You don't _REALLY_ believe those old wives tales about bad omens do you?"

Akane's father immediately shook head, eager to ignore things of importance and responsibility, just as he had always done in his life.

* * *

Some distance away from the campsite, in a very remote area of rocky cliffs and gorges, there was a huge boulder blocking the entranceway to a large cave. Wrapped about the rock were ceremonial sealing talismans and such. For over two decades, the spot had remained untouched. However, if one was to look closely, one could see that the solid rock was starting to crumble as the evil within began to stir.

Soun and Genma's troubles were about to be magnified a hundred fold.

* * *

In a nearby small town, Kasumi was busy shopping for lunch and dinner and came across a quaint market that was having a sale on seafood. Behind her, a bodyguard with dark sunglasses and short black hair nodded as he helped carry the foodstuffs she had already purchased.

"What are you planning to make tonight, Miss Tendo?"

Kasumi nodded as she responded. "I was thinking of a very nice sushi dish. Oh look! They're having a special on squid! I must get some!"

After purchasing enough for her family, their guest and the members of the Talbain staff, the eldest daughter of Soun Tendo was escorted back toward the campsite. As she and the bodyguard quietly walked together, she gave off a small, forlorn sigh.

"Is something the matter, Miss Tendo."

"I was just thinking about my sister Nabiki and how much I miss her." She replied. "I wish she was with us right now. I know that she'd enjoy the squid dinner I'm going to make tonight."

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, two miles below the surface

"Dad! We got us a stowaway!"

Jon grumbled as he gripped the control wheel and fought to keep the Sea Wolf II on a level course. However, it proved to be quite difficult as there was an eighty-foot giant squid tightly latched onto the tail section, thereby impairing the function of the rudder. Its huge form was displayed prominently in the rearview monitor screen.

"How the _HELL_ did that thing get close without the sonar system detecting it?"

As if in answer to his question, the intercom went off and a high-pitched voice was heard.

"Jon Master? So sorry! Snafu want clean out water filter! Mess up sonar thing! Will fix quick! What happen?"

"Glitch? Is that you?" Matthew cried out as he recognized the voice.

"Matthew Boy! Good hear again! So sorry no tell now! Jon Master make Glitch and gang fix-up crew!"

The younger werewolf turned to his father in a bit of a shock. "You made Glitch and his friends the maintenance crew on this sub?"

"As good as they are with taking things apart; they also have a talent of putting things together. Never mind that now! "Jon then turned to Kalesse. "Tell that oversized sushi platter that he's got ten seconds to let go of this sub, or I'm going to be cooking a _LOT_ of calamari tonight!"

The undine nodded as she noticed that Jon was about to send a massive electrical charge through the hull. Even though the squid had no chance of even scratching the orichalcum coating, it was causing the sub to slow down, and they needed to get to Atlantis quickly. However, she also knew that squid tended to be extremely stubborn once they had their tentacles wrapped around something. She was spared the task of cutting the cephalopod free from the submarine when there was tremendous series of sounds being heard outside.

_**CHOMP! GNAW! GOBBLE! CRUNCH! GULP!**_

As suddenly as the attack began, it ended as the Sea Wolf II was running smoothly again.

Nabiki settled back down in her seat and looked about in puzzlement. She addressed the undine as she was also sitting back down.

"What just happened?"

The sea maiden shrugged. "If I had to guess, I'd say that Bob just had a giant squid for lunch."

As if in confirmation of her theory, there was a loud booming noise that echoed throughout the submarine.

"_BURP!_"

"Bob! Next time mind your manners!" Kalesse chided at the Loch Ness Monster.

Matthew chuckled as he got up from his seat and stretched out a bit. "Hey Dad mind if I go down to the engine room and check on Glitch?"

"Go ahead Son. I can take care of things up here for a while. Take Nabiki with you and introduce her to Glitch and the others. The sub is built pretty much in the same layout as the first Sea Wolf so you shouldn't have any problems finding the place."

* * *

A few minutes later

"So this is what powers the sub?" The middle Tendo girl asked as she found herself in a huge room. In front of her was the heart of Sea Wolf II, which resembled a nuclear reactor found in modern-day submarines.

However, unlike those vehicles, the power source was not an array of radioactive plutonium rods, but a single, multi-colored gem no bigger than a soccer ball. It was encased within a glass sphere and was radiating massive amounts of energy that was being harnessed by a system of collectors. Near the main reactor were several banks of highly-efficient back-up power cells. Darting about the area were several streaks of colored lights.

"What you're looking at is a Makai demon crystal. A crystal that size could power all of Japan's electrical grids for five hundred years." Matthew explained. "No harmful radiation, no nuclear waste by-products, and a near-limitless supply of clean energy."

"Whoa!"

"Of course, these crystals are extremely rare and expensive. And you can pretty much imagine the wars that would be fought by people to possess one. At this point, Earth is just _NOT_ ready for us Darkstalkers to walk among the humans openly."

Nabiki couldn't help but agree. After all she had seen, she knew that the general populace weren't as open-minded and understanding as she had become.

"So where's this repair crew of yours?"

Matthew gestured to a large panel and walked over to it. He then rapped on the metal surface three times and waited. In a few moments, the panel opened up and several tiny figures came out. Nabiki tried not to stare, but she couldn't help it as one thought repeated in her mind.

'_CUTE!_'

The repair crew of the Sea Wolf II consisted of little colored beings no bigger than Shamus O'Shea the Leprechaun. They were ranging in size from six to nine inches in height and had smooth skin in various colors. They appeared to be lizard-like, but each had a bit of a goofy expression on their faces. Some had trumpet-shaped ears that reminded Nabiki of the ogre Shrek, while others had curled horns. Some wore silly goggles on their heads and others had gaudy little vests. The leader, who was dressed in a miniature flight jacket and a leather flying helmet, stepped up and waved. All in all, they were an odd-looking group as Matthew introduced them to his girlfriend.

"Nabs, meet the Gremlins."

"Gremlins?" Nabiki repeated, and then realized what he was talking about. "You mean those little imps that were said to sabotage planes in World War Two?"

"You got it. My great-uncle Kevin Talbain found them messing about the repair yards in the American Volunteer Group; you know, the Flying Tigers? He made a deal with them and used them as covert saboteurs against the Nazis. Hitler always wondered why his scientists couldn't come up with the atomic bomb and win the war. These guys were the reason why. They were also the reason why the Axis couldn't make enough fighter jets. Half of them kept on falling apart or malfunctioning."

The lead Gremlin nodded and addressed the two lycanthropes. "Kevin Master give us home after war. Now serve Jon Master. Matthew Boy, who this?" He pointed to Nabiki.

Jon's son nodded as he introduced her. "This is Nabiki Tendo. She's with me." He then began pointing to several of the Gremlins, starting with their leader. "Nabiki, this is Glitch. Beside him is Snafu. Then there's Mishap, Jinx, Bonkers, Topsy-Turvy, Snag, Boo-Boo, Calamity, Hitch, Hiccup and Foul Up."

"And these little guys maintain the sub? I thought they liked to take things apart, not keep things together."

"Well yeah they can build things pretty fast, but they can dismantle things even faster." Matthew admitted. "I once saw these little guys strip a fully loaded limousine down to its bare chassis in less than two seconds. Dad was pretty ticked off when they did that. In any case, want to go see the rest of the sub?"

The short-haired girl nodded.

* * *

Back at Castle Talbain

Tyselli grimaced as she took a whiff of the odor coming from the cauldron. This was her sisters' nineteenth attempt to duplicate Akane's Anti-Hair Grow formula, in order to make an antidote. However, they were still no closer to creating the exact mixture. They could make the potion either smell really bad or really good, but not at the same time. There were just too many variables.

"I think we're going to need more help on this, my sisters." Girella remarked as she tossed out their latest failure.

"I wonder if Cousin Cologne got the message?" Parelle mused.

"I did." A new voice replied.

The three witch sisters looked toward the door to the chamber and gasped in delight as they saw who was standing there. The diminutive Elder of the Joketsuzoku stood on her staff. Beside her, William Dubroke bowed and introduced the newcomer.

"May I introduce Cologne of the Joketsuzoku?"

"_COUSIN!_" All three magic-users cried out as they ran over to the Amazon Elder and warmly embraced her.

Cologne returned the gesture as she greeted her distant relatives. After she had received a magical message from her cousins, Jon had arranged to have the Elder and Shampoo flown to Castle Talbain, since they would be the most logical people to ask about the Chinese Anti-Hair Grow formula. After exchanging pleasantries, the old Amazon then pogoed on her staff over the work table and began reading her cousins' notes on the subject at hand. William politely excused himself and left them to their work.

"I understand that _SOMEONE_ did not heed my great-granddaughter's warnings about mixing the formula."

"Yes and we must now find an antidote for the mixture some foolish Japanese girl created." Girella explained. "The problem is that we don't know exactly _WHAT_ she put into the potion and how much or how little ingredients she used! I've only managed to identify a _FEW_ of the components, and even those ingredients weren't on the recipe!"

"What sort of ingredients?"

The ancient witch started counting off the ingredients with the fingers of her right hand. "I actually found out she had used a diet cola, powdered sugar, an old wad of chewing gum, some horseradish, a little mustard and some rat poison. As for the rest of the potion, your guess is as good as mine."

"And the side-effects?"

"Well, the resulting explosion _DID_ remove all the hair of those caught in the blast, but now they're giving off a stench that smells differently to each person they meet."

"How different?"

"Hard to say, but everyone is reporting a combination of their favorite and _LEAST_ favorite smells at the _SAME TIME!_"

Cologne's face became one of complete puzzlement as she had _NEVER_ heard of an effect like that. Just what did Akane Tendo put in that formula?

* * *

In another part of the castle, Shampoo was in awe as this was her first time visiting the ancestral home of the Talbains. Since there was a delay in getting her enrolled in a Japanese school, she had jumped at the chance to see her intended Airen and perhaps meet up with her honorary sister Amazon Nabiki. She was a bit disappointed to learn that both were off somewhere with Jon, but decided to explore the castle grounds and meet up with the mythical beings her great-grandmother had told her about.

Since she was a member of the Chinese Amazons which had a pact with the Talbains, Shampoo was given free access to most parts of the castle and the surrounding lands. She was also aware of the castle rules, passed down from generation to generation, all from the first Amazon who had visited; her very own ancestor Gel.

No fighting was allowed among the humans and the non-humans. Castle Talbain was considered neutral ground and that rule extended to all visitors; from Earth, space and the Makai. Once a person passed by the front gates, he/she was under the jurisdiction of the lord of the land, which was currently Matthew's father Jon. Sparring and challenges were allowed only with his approval.

Rule number two was to swear a blood oath to never reveal the secrets of the Talbains to any outsider. That also included the multitudes of non-human residents. This rule was strictly enforced by the Hellsing Organization, the MIB and several other groups.

Rule number three was that bigotry and discrimination were not tolerated in the least. This also included youkai races that looked down upon humans and other citizens of the Makai. All were considered to having equal rights and privileges.

Any major violation of the three general rules was swiftly and sometimes permanently dealt with. The punishments ranged from memory erasure, banishment, hexes and in the most extreme cases, death. So far, the Talbain family had yet to invoke the final penalty. Just about all the monsters and spirit beings enjoyed living at the castle and had very little to complain about.

Since the establishment of Castle Talbain in the 6th Century, Mathew's family had hosted hundreds of monster races and maintained the balance between the Makai and the Human World. However, even they knew that secrecy could not be maintained forever. There would come the day in which the Old Races would no longer be just the stuff of legends and folklore, but undeniable fact. As a result, the lycanthrope family had been working to integrating the monster races in with the humans and having them adapt to their culture. At present, Jon was cautiously optimistic of the eventual revelation, especially with such understanding people as Sir Integra and Zed of the MIB. They too knew that humankind would eventually learn that they were not alone in the universe. And they would have to be prepared for that contingency.

At this moment, Shampoo wandered around an array of hallways and kept her warrior senses on alert. Even though her great-grandmother assured her that none of the monsters would do her any harm, the purple-haired girl was still a bit nervous since this was her first time visiting Matthew's home. So far, only the Amazon Elders and several of the elite warriors had the privilege of coming here. Her great-grandmother had already visited twice.

The Chinese girl then noticed a door that was slightly ajar. Curious, she walked over toward it and opened it fully. Looking about and seeing no one, she stepped inside. She noted that there were piles of cloth rolls and fine garments hanging on multiple racks. She surmised that this must be a seamstress' quarters. She took hold of a dress hanging nearby and marveled at the quality of the silken material. Even the master cloth experts in her village couldn't make such a weave of this caliber.

"Aiyah! So pretty!"

"Thank you, my dear."

Shampoo whirled about when she heard the voice, but still could not see anyone else in the room.

"Up here." The voice said.

The Amazon teen looked up and her eyes widened as she saw the resident Jurogumo and seamstress Arana, hanging upside-down from the ceiling. Her human feet stuck easily to the tiled surface, while the eight, spider legs protruding from her back, busied themselves with creating silken threads. Her human hands were slightly clawed and making smaller threads. She was manipulating the threads together with her nails like a pair of knitting needles. Once she finished weaving a square of cloth, she put it aside and produced a thicker strand of silk to lower herself down. Turning gracefully about in mid-air, she landed gracefully on her human feet and faced Cologne's heir. All eight of her eyes focused on the visitor.

Mentally forcing herself to stay calm and remembering the castle rules, Shampoo managed to smile and greeted the spider-woman.

"Hello. Me Shampoo from Amazons."

* * *

Later

"Chalk up failure number fifty." Cologne wearily remarked as the contents of the latest attempt to duplicate Akane's failed Anti-Hair Grow formula, was dumped into a hazardous waste container.

"I feel that we are missing something." Girella mused. "It's not so much as the ingredients, but some key element we are overlooking."

"I feel that way too, Cousin." Shampoo's relative agreed. "To think that a foolhardy girl with NO kitchen skill whatsoever; was able to concoct such a mixture that we are unable to duplicate."

At that moment, Shampoo came to the front door to the chamber and waved to the Grimbard Sisters and her great-grandmother.

"Great-grandmother, I back!"

"Hello child." The aged Amazon greeted, then noted Shampoo's new attire. "Shampoo! Wherever did you get such a lovely dress?"

The younger girl smiled as she pirouetted in her new Chinese-style silk dress. It was colored a brilliant sapphire blue with white, highlights. "It is too, too nice gift from spider-woman!"

"Ah, so you've met up with Arana, did you?" The Elder remarked knowingly.

It was at that moment that Shampoo noted the smells coming from the waste container and wrinkled her nose in response. "Aiyah! What smell so bad?"

Cologne sighed as she did one of the few things she rarely did; admit to her mistakes. "I'm afraid what you're smelling is our failures. We've been trying without success to copy the mistake that was made when you sent over that recipe for our tribe's Anti-Hair Grow Formula."

"Shampoo no understand. Why Sister Nabiki no follow recipe like Shampoo write down?"

"It wasn't Nabiki who tried to make the formula." The Elder corrected. "It was her halfwit sister who thought she could improve on a recipe that has worked flawlessly for centuries. Right now, Nabiki's family and a guest are afflicted with some strange stench that they cannot get rid of."

"What is smell like?"

"Think of the most wonderful smell you've ever encountered, and combine it with one that you hate the most. It seems to be different for every person."

"Aiyah! That no sound like bad cooking. Sound more like curse!"

At that moment, Parelle snapped her withered fingers in realization. "That's it! Why didn't we think of that before?"

"What do you mean, Sister?" Tyselli asked.

"Think about it. Now I can see an explosion by mixing the wrong components. However, even with the ingredients that were provided and whatever regular items that foolish Tendo girl added, there is no _POSSIBLE_ way she could have created such an unorthodox side-effect, unless she had some kind of magical catalyst!"

"Ah, I see where you're going Parelle." Girella remarked. "So even if we did manage to duplicate the exact mixture, it still wouldn't have worked unless the conditions were identical. So what kind of supernatural catalyst are we lacking?"

All the females present went silent in deep thought for a long while, before the youngest of the Grimbard Sisters had a revelation.

"Since this happened at the Tendo home, wouldn't it be logical to assume that something in that area would have affected the formula? Perhaps a nearby Ley Line?"

"It's possible." Cologne agreed. "Japan does have quite a few concentrations of Ley Lines."

"A sudden chemical explosion _WOULD_ cause a disruption in the mystical alignment of the surrounding auras of the individuals" Girella continued.

" added with the unusual ingredients, would result in a botched formula that clings to the personal aura" Parelle mused.

" which frequently flares up, causing a random mixture of smells!" Tyselli concluded by smacking her right fist into her left palm.

Shampoo took on a bit of a confused expression. "So Shampoo is right? Is really curse?"

"In essence yes!" The oldest Grimbard Witch exclaimed. "I can scarcely believe it myself, but that fool girl _ SOMEHOW_ managed to cast a very primitive hex upon herself and her family!"

"That also explains why her older sister is unaffected." The middle Grimbard added. "She managed to avoid being caught in the explosion, therefore that botched formula didn't adhere to her personal aura."

"Good grief, what a mess!" Shampoo's great-grandmother shook her head in disbelief. How could _ANYONE_ be that careless?

"Great-grandmother and cousins can cure now?" Shampoo asked.

"Not at the moment." Parelle commented. "We know now that we should be looking for a counter-spell rather than an antidote. Problem is that finding the right spell to undo this hex is still going to take a while."

"At least we're now going in the right direction." Tyselli commented as she pulled out an ancient and thick tome from a nearby bookshelf. She then started to leaf through it as she searched for the proper counter-spell.

"Hopefully we won't run into any more potential problems." Her oldest sister remarked.

* * *

Back in the Atlantic Ocean

"Dad, I think we may have a problem."

"What is it?" Jon asked as he and his son were once again jointly piloting the sub. It had been 3 hours since their underwater journey began and they were about halfway to Atlantis. After having lunch in the galley, Nabiki and Kalesse had decided to take a nap in the guest quarters.

"Sonar is picking up something on the surface. It's pretty big."

"Let's have a look." The elder werewolf said as he brought up an enhanced image of the object. "Hmm, looks like we've got ourselves a destroyer up there. It's probably on maneuvers or something. Judging from the radio chatter I'm picking up it sounds like it's Russian."

"Russian?" Matthew repeated while grinning, then switched dialects. {"So comrade? No can see us down here?"}

Jon chuckled in response. Like Mandarin and Cantonese, Matthew's mastery of Russian was broken but passable. At the very least, his son had a decent grasp of several different dialects, which was more than one can say about his former father Genma. He made a note to thank his son's language teacher when they get back to the castle. He then responded in kind. {"No my Son, I do not think so. The orichalcum hull absorbs sonar and radar waves instead of reflecting them, so we cannot be detected."}

{"Okay uh oh!"}

{"What is it?"}

{_BOB NO HAVE ORICHALCUM!_"}

Jon realized his son was right and pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand.

"Боже мой!" (1)

* * *

Up on the surface, the Russian Destroyer named the Vice-Admiral Kulakov, was just going through its shakedown cruise after its refit, when the sonar operator exclaimed that there was something huge was moving below them. When the captain saw that the object was more than 200 feet in length, he immediately assumed the worse and ordered depth charges to be launched. There was no way even a blue whale could be THAT big! So it couldn't be anything but an enemy sub!

In less than twenty seconds, a pair of RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers fired off their payloads, sending two dozen unguided depth charges into the water. The explosive devices detonated deep below the surface, causing massive shockwaves to ripple through the depths. A normal sub would have collapsed under such a pounding. However, the Sea Wolf II and the Loch Ness Monster were anything but normal.

The orichalcum outer hull coating and titanium structure easily withstood the underwater detonations with ease, while Bob barely felt the impacts against his thick skin. The noisy explosions did wake up Nabiki and Kalesse from their naps and had them rushing toward the bridge.

"What's going on?" Kalesse demanded as the craft shuddered slightly from the attack.

"We seem to have caught the attention of a Russian destroyer." Jon replied. "Or rather Bob seems to have caught their attention on their sonar screens. I guess he appears to them as an enemy missile sub."

"They're dropping depth charges at us?" Nabiki exclaimed as she saw through an observation window a device sink past them and exploded.

"Don't worry Nabs!" Matthew assured her. "Those things won't even come close to scratching the hull." He then addressed his father. "Although they're kind of annoying, and I think Bob might get ticked off enough to sink that destroyer."

"And the last thing we need is to have the Loch Ness Monster plastered all over the world news." The older lycanthrope concurred, and then spoke to the undine. "Kalesse? Please tell Bob to dive down to about a mile or so, while we take care of those trigger-happy seamen."

Kalesse nodded as she closed her eyes for a moment and focused her mental powers. Once she made contact, her eyes snapped open and glowed with an eerie blue glow.

"What's she doing?" The Tendo girl asked.

"She's using her aquatic telepathy to send a message to Bob." Her boyfriend explained. "She can use it to communicate to higher forms of sea life."

The sea warrior's eyes then returned to normal as she nodded to her employers. "Bob is heading down now and he's leaving the rest up to you."

* * *

The Loch Ness Monster let off a muffled noise as he began to dive down to the crushing depths of the Atlantic. As a Leviathan, Bob was equipped to handle the immense pressures and could remain submerged indefinitely if need be. His kind had evolved special lungs with gill-like structures that could take nutrients and oxygen from the water as well as from the air.

At more than seven thousand feet below the ocean surface, Bob waited for the explosions to cease.

* * *

"Okay, Bob should be deep enough for the Russians to lose him on their sonar scans. Let's see if we can get those people upstairs to stop throwing junk into the ocean. Matthew, man the torpedoes."

"You're not going to sink them, are you?" Nabiki asked in alarm.

"No, but I do intend to throw a few gremlins into their works."

"You mean monkey wrenches don't you?"

"No, he means gremlins." Matthew corrected as he realized what his father was referring to. He turned on the intercom. "Glitch! Get the guys ready to go topside! We got a destroyer upstairs! Break the ship's engine and weapons. Don't hurt anyone, okay?"

* * *

In the torpedo room, the group of mini-monsters suited up and all piled into a specially-made delivery device. Once they signaled the go ahead, they were loaded into one of the forward launching tubes and prepared to invade.

On the bridge, Matthew already had the destroyer lined up in his sights as he targeted the engine section.

"_FIRE ONE!_"

A small, cylindrical projectile was launched from the front of the Sea Wolf II and made a curving turn toward its target. When the front of the device hit the underside of the destroyer's hull, it instantly buried itself into the metal, making a tight seal so no water could leak in. Then the gremlins got to work.

Mishap put his hands on the hull and began emitting corrosive acid to the metal, burning a path into the engine compartment. Once there were in, the imps scattered and started to disassemble any and all mechanisms at supersonic speeds. The driveshaft to the propellers was rendered useless as it was disconnected from its moorings, courtesy of Foul Up and Hiccup. Fuel and hydraulic lines were severed, as Hitch used his razor-sharp claws. Electronics were short-circuited as Glitch emitted sparks from his hands. Weapon system relays were gummed up as Snafu emitted a sticky substance from his mouth. Bolts and rivets and fasteners were pulled out, thanks to Calamity, Bonkers and Boo-Boo. Every part of the destroyer that could attack the Talbains' sub and Bob was immediately disabled.

"Break this Boss?" Jinx asked as he pointed to a room that had several warning signs on it.

Glitch looked up and winced as he noticed the flammable and explosive symbols on it. He especially didn't like that yellow symbol with three triangles on it.

"No break that! Will break us! Finish up! Go back quick!"

In less than half a minute, the Vice-Admiral Kulakov was reduced to a harmless hulk drifting in the water. When the security teams came down to investigate, they were in a state of shock to see their massive engine in pieces. There was no sign of the perpetrators as they had already jumped ship and swam back to the Sea Wolf II.

The crew would later be rescued as the gremlins had not disabled their communication systems, thereby allowing them to send out a distress signal. However, not a single one of them could explain why their engine and weapon systems suddenly fell apart.

* * *

"All gremlins present and accounted for." Matt announced as he received word that the last of the imps had gone through the airlock.

Jon nodded as he set the coordinates for the final leg of the journey to Atlantis. Behind them, Bob swam at a leisurely pace.

* * *

Back in Japan

In certain cave deep in the mountains, the seals on the boulder began to darken and disintegrate. Then the massive stone developed a crack down its center. After a long while, the crack traveled down the diameter of the boulder and split it in two.

The greatest evil in all of Japan had just been released.

* * *

The ocean

"What is this place?" Nabiki asked as the Sea Wolf II glided past several underwater columns and canyons. She was looking through the main observation port on the bridge.

"What you're looking at is the outermost boundary of the Kingdom of Atlantis." Kalesse stated. "The main entranceway is located in a hidden crevasse that even deeper than the Marianas Trench."

"Fortunately, Sea Wolf One and Two can dive to that depth." Jon stated as he piloted the sub into an increasingly narrow channel. Bob followed behind and above them.

The middle Tendo girl gazed in awe at the multitudes of shipwrecks that littered the seascape.

"There are a lot of old ships out there, from just about every era by the looks of it."

"That's right." The undine warrior confirmed. "Over the centuries, there have been countless attempts to find Atlantis and its untold riches and knowledge, but none have ever succeeded until a few years ago. The Talbains were the first non-merfolk to ever visit. And you, Miss Tendo shall be the first non-Talbain to visit."

Nabiki gazed upon the seascape with wonder, and then noticed several large shapes swimming nearby. At first she thought it was Bob, but then saw that the newcomers were even larger than the Loch Ness Monster. Like Scotland's legend, the beasts resembled lizards, but had flippers and fins, rather than limbs. Each had a long neck and tail and resembled dinosaurs.

"Are those?"

"That's right Nabs." Matthew affirmed. "Meet the Leviathans."

Bob let off a series of high-pitched sounds that resembled the songs of whales, which his brethren responded to. The Leviathans were glad to see their distant relative, and began to converse with him.

Jon nodded as he put the sub on auto-pilot and got up from his seat.

"Bob's going to wait for us here, while we move on ahead to Atlantis."

"He's not coming with us?" Matthew's girlfriend inquired.

"The entrance to Atlantis is _WAY_ too small for a Leviathan to get through." The younger Talbain explained.

"And I'm afraid that once we get to that entrance, we'll have to use one of the smaller submersibles. The Sea Wolf II can't fit through either." His father said as the submarine made its way deeper down a narrow canyon. After reaching a depth of eight miles below the ocean surface, it leveled off and headed toward the hidden entrance. When it came to a dark opening, it stopped and remained in place.

Jon then motioned for his group to follow him to the launch area where the submersibles were standing by.

* * *

Five minutes later

Jon steered the mini-sub known as Sea Fang Alpha out of the launching port of the Sea Wolf II and headed toward the entrance to Atlantis. The submersible was oval in shape and was also coated in orichalcum. Sitting behind the pilot's seat was his son and girlfriend. Swimming ahead of them in her aquatic form was Kalesse. She motioned with hand signals as she began to guide them toward the underwater kingdom.

"So why do we need Kalesse to get to Atlantis?" Nabiki asked. "I was under the impression that she didn't want to go."

"She didn't." Jon affirmed. "However, due to the enchantment surrounding Atlantis, there's no way to reach it without her. You see Nabiki, Rikuo's people settled in Atlantis about a thousand years after it sunk. In order to protect it from outsiders and such, they placed a spell upon the area to cause anyone seeking the city to encounter grave misfortune and even death if they persisted. Remember all those shipwrecks you saw before? Those unfortunate souls met their ends when they neared the boundaries."

"So the reason why we didn't meet the same fate"

" was because the spell will not affect a child of Poseidon. In other words, our resident undine Kalesse. However, there is another reason. To further protect themselves, the merfolk of Atlantis created a maze of underwater tunnels and caverns, which fool even the most advanced sonar devices. However, Kalesse's underwater telepathy and senses are more acute than any machine. That's why she's our guide to Atlantis."

Nabiki nodded as they continued to follow the undine through the mind-boggling turns and twists of the maze. After an undetermined amount of time, they finally came to a large exit hole, and found themselves at the front gates of the mythical kingdom itself.

ATLANTIS!

* * *

In Japan

Akane grumbled as she continued to break some logs for the evening fire. She wanted to have some time alone and was some distance from the camp. She had hoped that this exile would be a good training experience. However, her father and Genma seemed to be content just to play shogi all day long and drink sake all night long. They didn't seem to care that they were banished from Nerima, especially after being told by Kasumi that the Talbane family had made a large deposit into the bank account. They simply maintained that their unnatural odor would eventually wear off and they would return back home soon enough.

Akane shook her head in disgust and was about to chop another log in half when a couple of terrified screams was heard from the camp.

"_NOOOOOOO! NOT YOU! ANYBODY BUT YOU!_"

"_IT CANNOT BE! YOU'RE DEAD! YOU CAN'T BE ALIVE!_"

Soun's daughter dropped what she was doing and made a beeline for the camp. When she got to the area, she found the Talbane maids cowering behind the two bodyguards and Kasumi. In front of them were the beaten and battered forms of her father and Genma. Standing on top of the fat panda's rump was a very angry and wrinkled dwarf in a purple gi.

Enter Happosai.

To be continued

Author's Notes

In the next chapter, we'll meet with Rikuo and his attempts to get Kalesse as his bride, while the Talbains and Nabiki try to find the next medallion piece. As for Happosai, well let's just say that Soun and Genma's vacation is definitely over. See you then!

1) Good Grief! in Russian 


	18. Chapter 17: World Tour Part 6

**The Beast Within**

Disclaimer: Ranma , Darkstalkers and all other characters mentioned in this story belong to their respective creators so go bother them!

' ': Thoughts

[ ]: Spoken in Mandarin/Cantonese

**Chapter 17**

**World Tour Part 6**

**Challenge of the Deep**

Nabiki could only stare in total amazement as she was the first human, (technically a Secondary Lycanthrope), to visit the Kingdom of Atlantis in over 10,000 years. Though it was mostly in ruins since the earthquake that wiped out nearly the entire populace of Rikuo's race, it was still quite magnificent.

The buildings seemed to be a combination of natural rock and coral formations, which glittered like gemstones as they were illuminated by several crystalline structures that gave off their own light. The main capital city of Aquarius was about the size of Tokyo as Sea Fang Alpha made its way toward the royal palace where the kingdom's only inhabitant dwelled.

Swimming ahead of the mini-sub, Kalesse the Undine was not looking forward to meeting with King Rikuo Aulbath. If she had a choice, she would rather pick the barnacles off Bob's backside than spend a single minute alone with that pompous merman.

Her tribe of undines favored true strength and honor, which was the main reason why they respected the Talbains. Rikuo however, had a very big ego. He considered himself the most beautiful of Poseidon's creatures, which meant that he deserved nothing less but the best. During her first visit, Kalesse had to fight off several dozens of his advances and told him repeatedly that she wanted nothing to do with him, let alone agree to become his queen. The merman proved to be quite stubborn and she knew that he hadn't given up on her.

In the mini-sub, Nabiki discussed with Matthew and his father about the upcoming meeting with the ruler of Atlantis.

"So are you certain that the medallion fragment is here in Atlantis?"

Matthew nodded as he took out the incomplete object in question. The artifact glowed with an eerie light, indicating that a part of it was in the vicinity.

"Hopefully we'll be able to find it without any trouble." Jon commented. "But since it happens to be here in Atlantis, we're going to need Rikou's permission to search for it."

"So what's this Rikuo like? I mean, why does Kalesse hate him so much?" Kasumi's sister asked.

Jon's son activated a nearby console and pulled up the file on the last survivor of Atlantis.

"His full name is Rikou Albath, and he was elected as the ruler of Atlantis by his people some five years ago. You see Nabs, unlike most royalty, a king of Atlantis isn't born into the position; he's actually elected by the people every few years. You might say that it's one of the earliest forms of democracy."

"Indeed." His father commented. "Rikuo had only started his rule when a seaquake devastated Atlantis and killed nearly all of the merfolk living here. Personally, I really don't blame him for wanting to rebuild his civilization and regenerate his species, but he's going to have to find another way than trying to force Kalesse into being his new queen."

"He can't really be _THAT_ bad, can he?" Nabiki inquired.

"He _IS_ that bad and then some." Matthew confirmed. "You remember how Mousse was with Shampoo in China?"

Matthew's girlfriend groaned as she remembered how foolhardy Mousse was; trying to impress Shampoo by attacking a Deathwing's foot with a duck-shaped training potty. Then she also recalled how ticked off Akane was when Kuno made that stupid declaration to defeat her in battle in order to date her. Oh yes, she could understand Kalesse's anger over a persistent suitor who couldn't take a hint and take a hike.

"So what does he look like?"

Her beau brought up an image of Rikuo on his console. After gazing upon Rikuo's looks for a minute, she did several double-takes between the image and Kalesse who was swimming out in front of them. She then gave her boyfriend a questioning look.

Matthew nodded as he responded to her unspoken question. "Rikuo and Kalesse come from different species of merfolk. They may be children of Poseidon, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're compatible."

"I think it's because of Rikuo being so lonely for the last five years." Matthew's father added. "Being the last of his kind is a scary thought. I suppose his loneliness is overriding his better judgment. I've also done the research. Rikuo and Kalesse's species are like horses and donkeys."

"Horses and donkeys?" Nabiki repeated in confusion.

"When you cross a horse with a donkey, what do you get?" Matthew asked.

"You get a mule. So what does?" The middle Tendo girl then realized what the Talbains were getting at. "Oh, I get it. If Rikuo and Kalesse have any children, then they're going to be like mules. They'll be sterile."

"And that's another reason why Kalesse doesn't want to marry Rikuo. And if Rikuo wants to propagate his race, he'd be better off giving up on her and try to find someone else." Jon said. "A female of his own kind would be the best match. A Nereid might be able to do the job as well."

"Good luck on trying to change his mind." The younger werewolf commented. "He was dead set on marrying Kalesse and he didn't believe us when we told him that his kids wouldn't be able to have kids of their own."

"I know. Sometimes loneliness and wanting to love someone can make a person lose all of his common sense. But we have another chance to convince him otherwise and maybe even help him. We're just going to have to wait and see."

At that point, Kalesse signaled to the mini-sub and pointed to a very large structure, which was the main palace. She then led the group toward a nearby entry port.

Things were about to get complicated.

* * *

In Japan

Akane couldn't believe how complicated things had gotten. Who was this wrinkled little gnome, and why was her father and his friend so terrified of him?

After beating the living daylights out of his former pupils, the one known as Happosai took a long puff from his pipe as the heads of the Tendos and Saotomes groveled in front of him. He would have pounded them even more, but they smelled like freshly-pressed women's panties and sweaty men's boxer shorts, although it wasn't enough to sap enough his perverted strength. He had gone for a quick panty raid in the nearby village before finding his disciples again, which explained the large bag of unmentionables he had with him. The smell was still quite disgusting. He also wondered why their auras, along with Tendo's youngest daughter's were erratic and unstable. He filed those thoughts away for a later time as Soun tried to sound joyous over his master's return.

"M-Master! I-I-I am s-s-so happy to see that you are alive and"

"Save it Tendo! You're not fooling anyone, least of all me." The ancient lecher said as he took another puff, then looked down at the Matthew's former father. "And you Saotome, you haven't changed at all. I see you've put on a few dozen pounds since I last saw you."

"_DAD? WHO IS THIS PERSON?_"

"Oh my!" Kasumi remarked.

Behind her, the two bodyguards and the Talbain maids stood by in confusion and revulsion. Compared to this little human troll, the youkai at Castle Talbain were preferable company.

Soun looked up from his groveling position with a panicked expression. "Akane! Show the proper respect! This is the Dreaded er, Honored Grandmaster Happosai of the Founding School of Anything Goes Martial Arts! He was our sensei!"

"Your sensei? _HE'S_ the grandmaster of the Anything Goes?" Akane said in total disbelief.

Happosai nimbly jumped over his disciples to stand in front of the youngest Tendo. He gave her a leering expression and nodded. "Hmmm, not bad Tendo! She's a cutie! Except for that smell of newly-bought bras and old gym socks. Whew! There's nothing more disgusting than the smell of a man!"

Akane's hair-trigger temper immediately got the better of her as she took the comment as an insult and started swinging.

"_WHY YOU LITTLE!_"

However, uncontrolled rage wasn't enough to land a blow on someone with more than two hundred and eighty years of experience under his belt. Soun and Genma's master easily avoided the strikes with a lazy grace. As he continually dodged, he casually gave Akane's skills his candid and not-too flattering assessment.

"Hmm sloppy, sloppy, sloppy absolutely no control whatsoever openings are big enough for a truck to drive through poor recovery time" He casually glanced over the Soun. "Tendo, I'm disappointed if she's the _BEST_ your branch of my school can offer. You _REALLY_ should have trained her better."

Akane's father could only whimper as his child continued to assault Happosai with no success. However, as the girl started to build up a sweat, her odor increased in potency, making Happosai grimace in disgust and increase the distance between them. This was noticed by his scheming students as they watched the fight continue.

"Look Tendo, see how the Master avoids her!"

"Yes. I cannot understand it, but Akane is actually holding her own against him!"

"I get it, Tendo! It's her smell! Remember what the Master said?"

"I see, Saotome! This is the first time I'm grateful for her odor! If she cannot be touched by him, then we can use Akane to keep him at bay!"

However, their hopes were quickly dashed as Happosai proved to be quite resourceful. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a wooden clothespin and used it to plug up his nose. With a speed that was considered as inhuman, he darted past Akane's nearly nonexistent defense and latched onto her chest.

"Aah this is bliss!" The old pervert marveled as he nuzzled against Akane's bosom.

The youngest Tendo daughter reacted in a violent but understandable manner.

"_AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH!_"

_**WHA-BOOM!**_

Akane sent her molester skyward with an uppercut that would have shattered concrete. She stood panting and in state of total distress.

"That that disgusting little toad! Ugh! Gross! He touched my chest!"

As Soun and his friend quickly began packing up and prepared to leave the area before the Master returned, the Talbain staff moved off to one side as one of the bodyguards began dialing on a cellphone.

* * *

In England

"Castle Talbain, this is Head Butler Dubroke speaking ah, hello Oscar. How are things with the Tendo clan in Japan? What? Happosai? Are you certain? Yes, I do recall Master Jon telling me about him. I see. Well, for now, since we are still under orders to watch over the Tendo household, I suggest that you show him the Talbain Family Crest. I am certain that he will not trouble you, once he realizes who we work for. Yes, keep me informed of any further developments. Goodbye."

* * *

Meanwhile, a trio of witches from Salem and an Amazon Elder were busy pouring over several volumes of ancient texts. Cologne was especially impressed with the amount of magical lore her distant relatives possessed.

"I've been looking all over for the final ingredient to this spell!" She pointed to a section of a thick tome. "The Amazon Archives are incomplete about this ritual. May I copy it?"

Tyselli looked over Cologne's shoulder at the section she was indicating and nodded. The Elder was family after all.

Shampoo's great-grandmother immediately produced an inkwell, a writing quill and a piece of parchment. She speedily jotted down the information and let the ink dry before rolling up the information and putting it away in her robes. She then went back to researching the counter-spell needed to free the Tendos from their demonic stench.

* * *

On the other side of the compound, Shampoo was getting acquainted with another resident of Castle Talbain. So far, she had been enjoying her visit and had met with several non-human beings over the last few hours. This particular denizen had green, scaly, clawed hands and feet, finlike ears and a leathery tail protruding from the small of her back. Otherwise, she was more or less human with her brown, wavy hair tied up in a ponytail, blue eyes and a slender figure. Her name was Cendra, but her race known as the Reptyls, a species of Lizardmen.

Like all Lizardmen, Cendra prided herself as a capable fighter and she wanted to meet with an actual Amazon warrior. Since no fighting was allowed at the castle, she instead invited Shampoo to train alongside her. Presently, both were in one of the practice gymnasiums and using swords.

"Like this?" The warrior girl asked as she swung her scimitar about in a choppy motion.

Cendra shook her head as she demonstrated with her broadsword. "No. Make more smooth! Like this!" She made a circular maneuver with her weapon, and then ended with a sharp thrust.

"Oh! That is good move!" Cologne's heir remarked as she duplicated the technique. "Where you learn it?"

"Kalesse show me! She top fighter at castle! Except for Talbians of course."

"Who Kalesse?"

"Kalesse is undine, great underwater warrior. Pretty good on land too. She go with Masters right now to Atlantis."

"She is really good fighter?"

"She happens to be one of the best, Shampoo."

The two adolescents stopped in their exercises and turned to face Cologne and the Grimbard Sisters as they walked up to them.

"Great-grandmother!" Shampoo exclaimed as she put down her weapon. "You find cure for curse now?"

The aged matriarch nodded. "We may have found the correct counter-spell, but we're going to need a special ingredient to make it work. Once we collect it from the Botanical Gardens, we'll be heading to Japan to cure the Tendos."

"Awww!" Her great-granddaughter pouted. "Shampoo want to stay here longer!"

"Perhaps the next time we visit here. Now come with me child."

After bidding her new sparring partner goodbye, the purple-haired girl followed her relatives toward the Talbain Botanical Gardens, which happen to be within a gigantic greenhouse. The temperature, humidity and sunlight were meticulously maintained in each section. Each area was given its own simulated environment to promote optimal growth of all the plant life and plant-based beings.

As they made their way deeper into the Gardens, Shampoo was amazed at the varieties of strange flowers and trees. Every now and then she would glimpse strange creatures as they came out of the foliage.

"Why we here great-grandmother?"

"We're going to need a rare type of tree sap; one that can only be produced by a dryad."

"What is dryad?"

"She means me." A new voice was heard, causing the group to stop in their tracks. A very large tree beside them shuddered slightly, as a person literally came out of the trunk. She was a voluptuous girl with pale white skin, deep forest-green eyes, and long emerald-green hair. She wore a simple short dress that seemed to be made of leaves. She had pointed ears and a kind of energetic aura about her.

Shampoo tensed up a bit as she was caught off-guard by the sudden appearance of the tree-nymph, but calmed down as Cologne stepped up to greet the forest spirit.

"Ah, I was just thinking about you Laursa. It is good to see you again, but I'm afraid that this is a business call. I require a small amount of your tree's sap in order to undo a foolish girl's self-inflicted hex."

"Very well." The woodland nymph gestured to the upper branches of the tree she was bonded to. As if it heard her silent request, the tree lowered one of its limbs so Laursa could pluck off a few leaves to hand to the Elder. "There should be enough sap in these leaves to do the job."

"I thank you." Cologne said as she took the offering.

"Is sap really so strong?" The younger Amazon asked.

The three-hundred-year-old Amazon nodded as she replied, "Dryad tree sap is extremely potent Shampoo. Many of our own Amazon remedies use it as a base. A single drop can be diluted into a THOUSAND different potions! A key ingredient of the Miracle Hair Grow Shampoo is the tree sap of a dryad. To counter the shampoo's effects, makes use of a distillation of the sap, which is the secret ingredient to the Anti-Hair Grow Formula. And we shall now use the sap to cure that botched hex of the Tendos."

"Ah! Shampoo get it!"

"Good luck my friends." Laursa the Dryad said as she merged back into her tree and disappeared from sight.

* * *

An hour later, after bidding farewell to their friends at the castle, both Amazons were flying in the Talbain private jet on their way to Japan.

"Oh, Shampoo had lots of fun! So many Old Races!"

"Indeed." Cologne agreed as she reclined in her seat. "I've always enjoyed visiting that place. So who did you meet there?"

Shampoo started counting off her fingers. "Meet up with spider-woman, winged man with very old things, funny frog boy, tiny man with cane, cousins with great-grandmother, fighting lizard girl and tree girl!"

"So you've met with Arana the Jurogumo, Grom the Gargoyle, Shinko the Kappa, Shamus O'Shea the Leprechaun, Cendra of the Reptyls and our dryad friend Laursa."

Cologne's heir nodded. "Wanted to meet with Kalesse but she no there. Say she is great fighter."

"She is for a fact. I pity anyone who challenges her."

* * *

In Atlantis

_**KA-BOOM!**_

The ruler of the underwater kingdom groaned in pain as he was blasted through a wall and landed hard on his back.

Rikuo Albath was beginning to regret his rash challenge to Kalesse for her hand in marriage. He had thought that he had finally found the means to have his bride. However, things didn't exactly turn out the way he wanted

* * *

Flashback to a few hours ago

As the mini-sub came through the entrance port of the main palace and surfaced inside, Kalesse came up and morphed her fish tail into a pair of legs. She also took out her collapsible battle staff and extended it to its full length. As she walked up the bank, the werewolves and their guest exited the Sea Fang Alpha and followed her. Inside the palace was relatively dry and had an atmosphere for them to breathe, but Jon was taking no chances. He put on a strange bracelet, then handed two more to his son and Nabiki.

"What are these?" The middle Tendo girl asked as she put on the piece of jewelry.

Matthew looked down at his own bracelet and nodded as he noted the blue-white stones embedded in it. "These bracelets have Aqua-Air Stones in them. They're from the Makai."

"Right." The elder werewolf affirmed. "Werewolves can handle themselves on land, but this is Kalesse's territory. She's at home in the ocean, and we're not. If for some reason we end up in the water, these bracelets will enable us to breathe and withstand the crushing pressure for about two hours before needing a recharge. But don't stay too long under. I'm not too sure if our hyper-recuperation abilities will be able to save you from drowning."

Both teens nodded as the group continued toward the inner palace areas. Nabiki noted that the place was about the size of Castle Talbain and had the remnants of past splendor about it. Gold and gemstones lined many surfaces and gave her surroundings a kind of opulent glow. However, after being with the Talbain family for so long, all that wealth just didn't interest her as much as it used to. Accumulating vast amounts of money wasn't all that important to her any more. She was a bit surprised at her current thoughts and realized how much she had changed since meeting Matthew. She then began to think that it was for the better that she had altered her line of thinking. Who knows how she would have ended up if she had continued on with her mercenary ways?

She then made a note to dismantle her gambling and blackmail operations once she returned to Japan. Though it was going to be hard to keep her family afloat, she felt that she needed a more honest means of earning income. Perhaps she could convince her father to start teaching again.

As they came to the entrance to the main throne room, Jon and Matthew tensed up as their danger senses began to give them warning signals. Kalesse's aquatic perception abilities didn't like how things felt either as she gripped her staff. In the water, it was virtually impossible to get the drop on her as she could sense even the slightest irregular vibrations in the wave movements. On land, it was still quite difficult as she could feel the disturbances in the air currents surrounding her.

Nabiki noted her boyfriend's anxiety and gripped the hidden tonfa in the holster at the small of her back.

It was then that Jon Talbain opened the door. As he did so, he morphed into his lycanthrope form. Matthew followed suit as Nabiki removed her pendant.

The group cautiously entered the huge throne room; there was not a soul in sight. At the far end of the room was an elaborate throne, made from one half of a giant oyster shell. The sides were decorated with precious pearls and brilliantly colored coral. As they looked about they were all on edge and ready to do battle.

The wait was not a long one, as huge monstrous foes in the form of four gigantic crabs, came out from either sides of the room. Their menacing claws snapped and their mandibles drooled slimy saliva as they advanced toward their prey. However, Kalesse and the werewolves would prove to be no easy targets.

Kalesse demonstrated her abilities by nimbly jumping over a claw, then came down on her opponent with her staff. The tip crackled with energy as she infused her ki into it.

"_HYDRO SHOCKER!_"

As its name implied, the technique would react with any moisture in her enemy's body. The crab lit up like a Christmas tree as its inner body was electrified with the equivalent of 100,000 volts. The hardness of its exoskeleton proved to be no protection as the electricity was transferred by her ki. The giant crustacean dropped to the floor unconscious and slightly cooked.

Jon handled his own foe as he knocked it off balance with his Beast Cannon maneuver, then followed through with a couple of swipes, using a pair of butterfly swords. Since he had anticipated aquatic fighting, he knew that his usual nunchakus would not work as well underwater. Both of the crab's claws fell off, leaving the monster literally unarmed. It scurried away until it could regenerate its limbs.

Matthew followed suit with a Beast Cannon of his own, then a solid strike with a blazing kick.

"_RAZOR DIVE!_"

A downward version of his father's Climb Razor hit in a spot just between the crab's eyestalks, causing a concussion to its brain. It fell hard on its belly in a stunned state then lapsed into unconsciousness.

"Need any help Nabs?" He called out as his girlfriend dealt with the last of the monsters.

"I think I got it!" She replied as she slowly hefted the crab above her head. After it lunged at her, she managed to get under it, and was now lifting it off the ground. She was amazed that she was actually holding up something that weighed the equivalent to a small bus. With supreme effort, she upended the oversized seafood platter onto its back. Kalesse came in and finished the job with another jolt to its belly.

As she jumped down to the floor, she gave a nod to the female lycanthrope.

"Impressive young one."

"Indeed." Jon agreed as he sheathed his blades. "You've gotten a lot stronger. Though you could use more training in terms of skill. There's a lot more to it than just brute strength. Don't expect your werewolf powers to pull you through every fight."

"Yes sensei." She nodded as she knew that her younger sister almost always relied on pure force to win her fights. Matthew had since proved that it was insufficient against more skilled foes. Nabiki made a note to step up on her training in the Talbain Wolf-Fist.

It was then that a figure came out of nowhere and landed in front of the throne.

"Who dares intrude upon the Kingdom of Atlantis?"

This statement made Kalesse scoff.

"Kingdom? Hah! What kingdom? Aside from those crabs, you're the only one here!"

As soon as Rikuo heard Kalesse's voice, he turned and his expression softened in an instant. He became speechless as he gazed upon the beautiful undine, while she merely looked at him with a bit of contempt.

Standing a little further back, Nabiki studied the so-called ruler and noted the differences between him and Kalesse.

While the Talbain's underwater combat instructor could easily pass as a human, she had a kind of unnatural beauty that could never be achieved with cosmetics or surgery. Her aqua-colored eyes shone like sapphires, while her hair was as lustrous as the finest silk. Her figure was that of a cross between a Playboy centerfold and a pro athlete at a decathlon. She was literally Aphrodite and Artemis combined. (1) In her aquatic form, she resembled that of a mermaid with her fishlike tail, but she didn't have the same peaceful and serene personality that all mermaids are said to have. The end of her tail was narrower and tapered.

Rikuo however, was far from human-looking, though Nabki could see that he was 'curiously attractive' for a fish man. (2) He was basically a humanoid with green skin and a huge fin that started from the top of his head and ran down toward the small of his back. He had webbed feet and hands, as well as finlike structures where his eyebrows and ears were supposed to be. He also had some fins on his elbows and some spikes on his forearms. He wore a ceremonial necklace. He was generally in good physical condition and had a muscular physique.

Though he was supposed to be a king, he certainly wasn't acting like one as he quickly moved forward to embrace his intended queen.

"Kalesse! So you finally decided to become my!"

_**WHA-BOOM!**_

Though it looked like a casual slap, Kalesse sent Rikuo flying backward like a bullet shot out of a gun. He slammed into his throne with such force, that it broke apart into fragments, just before his momentum was stopped by the far wall. He more than dazed at the sudden rebuff of his affections as he staggered back to his feet.

Nabiki let off a low whistle and remarked, "Ouch! I don't think even Akane could hit Kuno that hard!"

"Well that's to be expected of Kalesse's people." Jon said. "Think about it. She comes from an environment of crushing water pressure. You either die or you develop superhuman strength to deal with it. It's about the same as living in a place of heavy gravity or constantly training with heavy weights."

"In any case, Rikuo should count himself lucky that Kalesse pulled her punch that time." Matthew said.

"That was pulling her punch?" His girlfriend asked incredulously.

"If she had put her full strength into it, Rikuo would have been on the other side of Atlantis by now. I'm just glad she didn't break the necklace he was wearing. We need it."

Nabiki focused in on the piece of jewelry the merman was wearing and gasped as she saw the center of the necklace.

"Oh my God! That's the fragment that we're looking for!"

"And unfortunately, it's part of the Royal Seal of Atlantis." Jon surmised. "I have a feeling that it's going be harder to get this piece."

* * *

Later

"So let me understand." Rikuo said with his hands clasped behind his back. He was on the main observatory balcony of the palace and looking over the seascape. Behind him was Kalesse as she stood with her staff held in her right hand. Jon was also there as well. Matthew and Nabiki waited in the throne room. "You're asking for the Royal Seal of Atlantis because it contains a fragment of an ancient medallion that you need."

"That's about the long and short of it." The elder Talbain confirmed.

"You realize that you are asking that I give you one of the most precious treasures of Atlantis, which has been passed down through our long lines of kings to me."

"I am willing to pay any amount you want for it."

"Hah!" The merman scoffed. "Money has no interest to me! If I were to give up such a precious heirloom to my people, then I would require something more substantial in return for it!" He turned about and focused his gaze upon Kalesse.

The undine let off a groan as she already knew what his price was. "Oh no! Not in a billion years!"

Jon also sighed tiredly. "Rikuo, we've been through this before. Now I know how much you want to rebuild Atlantis and save your species, but you can't do it with Kalesse. I've had experts in the Makai and MIB look over your genetic compatibility, and it's impossible."

"You don't know that for certain!" Rikuo shot back as he pointed an accusing finger at the werewolf. "And you don't know how lonely it's been since the great disaster that had wiped out my people! I will not be alone anymore and I _WILL_ have my queen!"

"Over my dead body." Kalesse commented, and then she amended herself. "And if you keep going with this idiocy, it's going to be over _YOUR_ dead body."

"But we would be perfect for each other!" Rikuo insisted. "I knew that from the first time I saw you! You're more beautiful than the finest pearls on Poseidon's crown! I would make you happy and we would have such fine children!"

"I doubt that! Flattery won't win my heart and I shall not doom any of my future children to a life of sterility."

"It's all lies fed to you by Talbain! We are the true children of Poseidon!"

"Just because we happen to be Poseidon's children, _DOES NOT_ mean we have to marry each other. Furthermore, I find you to be very annoying in the best light, and a pompous, arrogant fop in the worst. What could you possibly offer me that I would consent to be your wife?"

"You would have the riches of Atlantis! The treasures of a million galleons would be yours!"

"Hmph! Have you forgotten that I already live in the lap of luxury at Castle Talbain? My every need and desire is fulfilled there. Furthermore, I am not impressed with mere baubles!"

"You would be of royalty as my queen!"

"I care not for titles and lineage. The only kings that I will acknowledge is Lord Poseidon himself or that of the Great Maker! Your crown is as nothing to me!"

"But I love you Kalesse!"

"_BUT I DON'T LOVE YOU!_" The sea warrior maiden shot back. "I grow very tired of this pointless argument! I didn't come to Atlantis just to reopen a debate that is going absolutely nowhere!"

"I too, grow weary of your refusal to see our destiny together, so let us settle this once and for all!" Rikuo said with finality.

"What are you saying?" Kalesse asked, thought she had a feeling she already knew.

"I challenge you for your hand in marriage!"

"What?"

"As the king of Atlantis, in accordance to your undine tribal laws, I challenge to sea combat!"

The aqua-haired maiden was silent for a moment before giving the merman this warning, "Do not make a request so easily, King Rikuo. You may not _LIVE_ long enough to regret it!"

"Do you accept my challenge, or do you accept the disgrace in front of Lord Poseidon? If I win, you will agree to be my bride! If I lose, then you may have the medallion fragment."

Jon stepped up and put a hand on Kalesse's shoulder. "You don't have to do this."

She gave him a reassuring smile before shrugging off his hand. "It looks like I must pound some sense into Rikuo's head since it seems to be as thick as 1,000-year-old coral." She turned back to her unwanted suitor and replied in a very sarcastic tone. "Very well oh King of Atlantis. Prepared to get crowned; the _HARD WAY!_"

* * *

End of flashback

_**WHA-BOOM!**_

Rikuo now knew what being a soccer ball felt like as he was booted out of the palace and into the courtyard. He flipped over several times before landing on his face and skidding on the ground for twenty meters, digging a shallow ditch before coming to a stop. In terms of raw physical power, his intended bride-to-be was no joke! He had fought rampaging killer whales with less strength than her!

As he staggered to get back to his feet, he steeled his resolve. This was his only chance to get Kalesse as his wife! By the laws of her tribe, she would have to concede to his wishes if he beat her, and he wasn't going to lose this battle. However, he had to rethink his strategy. Going toe-to-toe with her was NOT favorable and he would need to wear her down.

As Kalesse closed in for some more close combat, Rikuo leaned back as several large pores in his torso opened up, sending out streams of noxious smoke into her face. She coughed and backed off as her eyes stung. The merman pressed his attack and let loose with a piercing sonic shriek. The undine winced as her hearing and sense of balance was put off. Her opponent charged in to finish the fight quickly and claim his mate!

However, the aqua-haired girl was not the Talbain's underwater combat instructor for nothing as she focused her ki and let it out in an aura of pure electricity. As soon as Rikuo touched her, he let off a howl of pain as the voltage ran through him and nearly fried him to a cinder. He went sprawling as Kalesse regained her balance and her vision cleared. In addition to keeping her foe at bay, the technique also cleared her system of the effects of his poison gas attack.

* * *

"Where did she learn that technique?" Matthew asked as he, his girlfriend and his father watched the battle from the balcony of the palace.

"She told me that she learned to convert her ki into high amounts electricity after meeting some wild man in Brazil." Jon replied. "She was cruising down the Amazon River at the time. Apparently it mimics the ability of the electric eel."

"There's some wild man in Brazil?" Nabiki inquired.

"Yes." Talbain nodded. "I believe his name was Jimmy, but the locals called him Blanka."

The trio went back to watching the battle.

* * *

Back in Japan

Zed pondered deep in thought at his desk, as he was given the latest reports at the Japanese HQ of the MIB. So far, the mysterious force that had devastated several alien systems was still too far to be any threat to the Earth, but the organization's deep-space observation stations were keeping a close watch on the thing that was making mincemeat out of whole space armadas. Long-range scanners couldn't penetrate its outer energy fields and space probes disintegrated before they got within fifty kilometers of it.

The head of the secret organization didn't like having zero information about a potential alien threat to the Earth, which went against everything the MIB stood for. But all he could at this point was to wait and see what horrors humankind would encounter when it finally arrived.

* * *

At the Tokyo Airport

Shampoo and Cologne stepped off the private Talbain jet and took their first steps onto Japanese soil. As the Chinese Amazons were led toward customs by their host's staff, they conversed in their native tongue.

["So where are we going now?"] Shampoo asked.

["After we settle up with customs, we're going to get settled in. I've already purchased a small property where we can start a business. I was thinking along the lines of a Chinese restaurant."] The Elder mused as she hopped on her cane.

["We're not going back to the village after we finish with the Tendos?"]

["No. Remember that we have to get you enrolled in school and I figured that we could do that after we cure the Tendo family. We should be able to have you start by the next semester. Besides, I promised to meet with an acquaintance and she is currently living in Japan, along with her daughter."]

["Who is that?"]

["Her name is Morrigan Aenslade and"] The elderly woman paused for a moment as she felt a chill run down her spine.

["Great-grandmother? What's wrong?"]

Cologne paused for a long moment, then shook her head and mumbled to herself. ["No, it couldn't be it's nothing child. I just thought for a moment that an old headache had returned. Come along."]

* * *

In a remote area, Happosai also felt a slight chill after he had just finished a quick panty and bra raid of a nearby village. He quickly dismissed it and decided that it would be too much of a chore to track down his traitorous pupils. It would be much easier to just wait at the one place Soun and Genma would surely go to after they found a cure for their stench.

He began to head toward Tokyo where he was certain he could find out the location of Soun's home.

The Tendo Dojo.

* * *

Back in Atlantis

"_KILLER VORTEX!_"

The merman leapt into the air and dived down feet first like a spear against his opponent.

Though this move would deliver some damage if it connected, it also left Rikuo vulnerable to a counter, which Kalesse was more than eager to demonstrate.

"_STEAM SHOT!_"

Since the air in Atlantis was quite humid, it was not a problem for the undine to heat up the surrounding water droplets with her ki and form scalding liquid bullets. With a sweep of her hand, she launched them at her unwanted suitor.

The aquatic king of Atlantis screamed as he was burned in several places. He missed his target as he came down, but lashed out with a fist, which morphed into a spiral shell point.

Kalesse blocked with her staff, then ducked under his next strike when he morphed his other arm into a crab claw.

"You will marry me!"

"It's time someone _SLAPPED_ some sense into you!"

With these words, she spun into a handstand and morphed her legs into her fishtail. With a speed that was absolutely mind-boggling she started to repeatedly whack her fin against Rikuo's face!

"_FIN FRENZY!_"

_**WHAPPITY-WHAPPITY-WHAPPTY-WHAPPITY-WHAPPITY-WHAPPITY-WHAP!**_

* * *

Jon snickered as the high-and-mighty king was slapped about comically in the face. He was reminded of those cartoons where an inept fisherman had caught a fish, but the fish would use its tail to slap him silly before escaping.

Beside him, his son cheered on his instructor.

"Oh yeah! Give it to him Kalesse! Make him _REALLY_ feel it! Yeah! Yeah!" (3)

* * *

Rikuo's face began to swell up as his intended spouse continued her assault. Then she added insult to a lot of injury as she suddenly morphed her fishtail back into her human legs and spun upside-down while kicking out.

"_SPINNING STARFISH KICK!_"

The merman was caught completely off-guard and received a dozen more hits to the head and torso before he was knocked back several dozen feet.

* * *

"Hey, wasn't that the move Chun Li used at the tournament?" Nabiki asked.

"Where do you think Li's family fighting style got that move?" Jon Talbain remarked. "Darkstalkers have influenced a lot of human history and its culture. I do recall Kalesse telling me that one of her distant ancestors visited China and trained with the Li family. The Chinese Amazons have also made connections to the Old Races, after meeting with Jacob Talbain."

* * *

In Japan

"Well, well! If it isn't Cologne!"

Morrigan Aenslade warmly hugged her Amazon friend as soon as she answered the door. Behind the Elder, Shampoo looked on with curiosity. This person was supposed to be a member of the Old Races? She looked like a normal Westerner.

The two Chinese females were invited inside the Aenslade home, where they were introduced to Lilith. A few minutes later, they were all having tea in the den and discussed various points of interest. As they talked among themselves, Shampoo couldn't help but stare at the seemingly normal-looking mother and daughter. Certainly Morrigan was strikingly beautiful and Lilith was cute, but there was nothing special that labeled them as Darkstalkers.

Finally, Cologne noted her great-granddaughter's non-interaction and chided her. "Shampoo! It is RUDE to stare at your host!"

"Ah! So sorry great-grandmother!" The younger Amazon apologized. "No mean disrespect!"

Lilith's mother smiled knowingly as she took a sip of her tea. "It's all right young one. I would think you would be curious about us. Cologne tells me that you have just come from Castle Talbain and you were wondering what members of the Old Races were we, correct? We don't mind showing you."

"Is okay! No need to show Shampoo!"

"I feel like spreading my wings anyway." With a nod to Lilith, they dropped their human disguises and let the Amazons see their true forms. Mystical energy emanated from both of the succubi as they displayed their bat wings and supernatural auras.

The purple-haired girl gazed in amazement at the two denizens of the Makai, then addressed Cologne, "Great-grandmother?"

The Elder nodded and explained. "Morrigan and Lilith are called succubi. They happen to be quite powerful and masters at seduction. A lot of our Amazon love potions and aphrodisiacs have the Aenslade name on them."

"Indeed." Morrigan affirmed as she reclined a bit on the sofa and crossed her legs. "As much I enjoyed catching up with you, I have a feeling that you are not here in Japan just to connect with an old friend."

"You know me very well, Morrigan." Cologne admitted. "Actually, our main business is get Shampoo enrolled in school here and to cure a certain family of a demonic stench."

"You mean the Tendo family?" Lilith asked. "They're not here."

"What?" Cologne asked in surprise.

"The entire neighborhood couldn't stand their smell anymore, so the city council had them exiled from Tokyo. Them and that guest of theirs." The younger succubus explained.

Morrigan nodded. "Jon Talbain had a few of his staff go with them to look after their needs, but we haven't heard from them for a while. Last time they were in contact, they were somewhere deep in an area near Maebashi, I think. Where they are now, your guess is as good as mine."

Shampoo's great-grandmother let off a sigh and shook her head. "That's quite a ways out. It's going to take a while to find them."

"Too bad Jon and his son aren't here. Werewolves are the world's best trackers."

As they continued to discuss how to find the missing Tendos and Genma, Cologne got another chill down her spine and wondered why she had this feeling of dread.

* * *

At the Tendo home

Happosai shook off the sudden chill down his spine as he broke into Soun Tendo's liquor cabinet. He smiled as he took out an elaborate bottle.

"Ooh! Imported French wine! Wonder how Tendo managed to score this kind of quality booze?"

Popping the cork, he greedily chugged down the contents as he waited for the house's occupants to return. He then started to go through the premiere Chinese Rice Wine and other alcohols that Nabiki had sent to her father. He was a bit tipsy when a certain someone found his way back to the Tendo home.

"Finally! I made it back!" 'Ranma' said as he came through the front door and walked down the hallway. When he saw the perverted Grandmaster of the Anything Goes in a drunken stupor, he immediately thought he had come across a burglar. "Hey! Who are you? What are you doing?"

The little gnome turned to look at the newcomer, shrugged and waved him off. "Ah, go 'way and let me enjoy my hooch!"

'Ranma' immediately charged him, but even when drunk, Happosai was no pushover as he took out his pipe. Only when he was passed out was he an easy target, and that was the only time Soun and Genma had the chance to lock him away. This time however, he wasn't out cold...

* * *

_**CRASH!**_

"_AHHHHHHH__!_"

'Ranma' didn't know how he was sent skyward as he went up into LEO and came down in another area. From there, he became lost again.

* * *

The Aenslades and the Amazons were a bit startled at the sudden commotion and came out of the succubi's house to see a small dot disappear over the distant horizon.

"What that?" Shampoo asked.

Lilith shrugged as she was already used to the goings-on in Nerima. "It's really nothing. That sort of stuff happens all the time. Keeps things interesting."

Assured that it wasn't any their business, the Amazons went back inside with everyone else. As they prepared to search for the Tendo clan and Genma in order to cure them, they did not realize that one of the greatest enemies of their tribe was just a few blocks away.

* * *

In the underwater kingdom, a certain individual was getting his royal rear end kicked in as the undine warrior continued to knock him around like a hackey sack. At this point in the fight, Rikuo was on the verge of collapsing. Kalesse was among the top fighters if not the very top of her generation. It was obvious that there was no question that Rikuo wasn't going to win this duel unless he used his strongest moves on her.

The merman was on his hands and knees as Kalesse slowly approached him to finish him off. He was more than winded and his vision was spinning. His intended queen had no compunctions whatsoever in beating him to within an inch of his life. He knew that she would give some of the strongest children in the ocean, and that was one of the main reasons why he wanted her. However, that dream was becoming more and more impossible.

'_No! I won't give up! _SHE WILL BE MY QUEEN_!_'

Out of sheer desperation, he lashed out at the last minute with a kick, catching Kalesse by surprise, and flipping her into the air. Then he pulled himself into a giant oyster shell and began shooting gigantic energy balls shaped like pearls at her.

"_GEM ANGER!_"

As Kalesse was blasted further upward, Rikuo emerged from his shell and let loose with his most powerful attack.

"_WATER JAIL!_"

A huge bubble appeared and floated upward, catching Kalesse as she came down. Then it started to sap her strength. Rikuo managed to get back to his feet and smiled in triumph.

"Give up and become my wife Kalesse! Nothing can break my Water Jail!"

Inside the bubble and in considerable pain, the undine snarled at this uppity merman and replied, "Don't bet on it!"

Her body began to glow blue white and crackled with energy. Sparks began to fly as the bubble shuddered and started to lose its integrity. Finally, it exploded into a huge shower of water and lightning bolts.

"_HYDRO STORM SHOCK!_"

Unfortunately for Rikuo, he had been certain of victory and was too close when she released her attack. And the liquid he created his Water Jail from, made an excellent conductor. As soon as he was splashed, he was nearly electrocuted and fell face-first into the ground.

Kalesse fell to her knees in exhaustion and knew that she couldn't generate enough amps to power a light bulb, let alone one of her lesser attacks. However, she didn't have to as Rikuo was down for the count.

She had won.

* * *

In the mountain areas near Maebashi

"Aiyah! How we find them here?" Shampoo asked as she and her great-grandmother hiked through the unfamiliar terrain. The younger Amazon was hefting a backpack which was filled with the various ingredients to the spell needed to break Akane's unintended hex. Inside the pack was a tiny vial, which contained an emerald green liquid. This was the pure Dryad tree sap that Cologne had obtained from the leaves given to her at Castle Talbain.

After their visit with the Aenslade family, the Chinese warriors were escorted into the last known areas the Tendo family was seen in. From there, Cologne decided to teach her relative some tricks in tracking.

"Look over here." The Elder pointed to a recent campfire then gestured to several small holes in the ground which indicated where tent spikes and poles had been placed. "Look at how the soil is scattered and how fresh those embers are. They were here not too long ago. Judging by how haphazard these signs are, I'd say they left in haste."

"How you know it them? Could be someone else camping here." Shampoo said.

"Take a deep breath and tell me what you smell."

The purple-haired girl did so and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Aiyah! Smell like horse dung, rotten fish heads and Blacksmith Slag after eating too many beans! Shampoo also smell flowers, morning dew and fresh soap. Why smell together?"

"That's the curse the Tendo family and Genma Saotome are afflicted with. And if you're able to smell it that strongly, then that means they're not too far off. If it were more than a few days old, the smell could only be picked up by dogs or the Talbains. Come! The smell is strongest in that direction." Cologne pointed toward the horizon.

"Hope we find soon." Shampoo commented. "Bad smell may cause trees to die."

"Perhaps." Her great-grandmother agreed. "And let's hope they don't stand too close to their campfire. That smell of theirs is liable to ignite."

* * *

Meanwhile in the Atlantic Ocean

"Are you sure that it's all right just to leave like this?" Nabiki asked as she, the Tailbanes and Kalesse rode the Sea Wolf II away from the entrance to Atlantis.

They were all back in their human forms. Lying on a nearby table was the incomplete medallion, now joined with its fourth fragment. Matthew's father had decided to look for the next fragment location once they were back at Castle Talbain.

"I did offer to help Rikuo search for any other survivors of his race, but he wouldn't listen to reason." Jon pointed out as he piloted the sub. He looked over his shoulder and addressed the undine. "He really wants you Kalesse."

"Hmph!" Kalesse snorted in disgust. "He was just a sore loser and he kept on saying that I cheated! He should take his loss and go find someone else!"

"Yeah, but he was really mad at us and blames us for everything that's happened. He even swore he'd get his revenge on us." Soun's daughter pointed out. As a former mercenary and blackmailer, she knew just how vindictive and petty a person could be. Anger and pride could make someone make rash decisions and thoughts of revenge can drive him/her over the edge.

"Hey! That was _NOT_ our fault!" Matthew said in protest. "We just came here to bargain for that medallion piece and he was the one who was being unreasonable. Then he tried to force Kalesse to marry him with that challenge. She won fair and square and we get the medallion piece. We offered to help him and he turned us down. There's not much else we can do. In any case, if he comes after us for some kind of stupid revenge, then we'll deal with him. It's not like one merman can do much against us."

At that moment, the sub's sonar alert system went off as a huge explosion rocked the craft. Matthew and Nabiki were nearly thrown out of their seats. Jon fought hard to right the ship, and then looked down at the console to see a very large object on the sonar screen, coming toward their position.

"Matthew!"

The younger lycanthrope nodded as he turned on all the Sea Wolf II's scanners and monitors.

"What hit us?" Jon asked.

His son began reading the date and was shocked at the results.

"According to the sensors we were just hit by a torpedo?"

"A torpedo?" Nabiki gasped. "Who fired on us?"

Matthew then switched on the rearview monitor and stared in disbelief at what he saw. The others also gaped in shock at what was coming at them.

The thing was about two hundred and twenty feet long and was cylindrical. It had coral attached to several areas of its rusted hull. The ugly machine had not been seen in over 65 years and it looked like it was about to fall apart. However, it was still recognized by all those aboard the Talbain's vessel.

"I don't believe it! That's a World War II submarine!" Matthew exclaimed.

Jon noted the identification number imprinted on the bow of the vessel and fed the information into the Sea Wolf II's computer. He then read the data out loud. "Hmmm U-boat 338 Type VIIC submarine reported lost in combat on September 20th, 1943 mysteriously disappeared after diving to escape the Canadian Corvette Drumheller explosion was heard, but the wreckage was never found." He looked back at the rearview monitor and commented, "So that's where she ended up!"

"But who's shooting at us?" Nabiki cried out.

As if in answer, the radio crackled to life as the sound of static filled the air. Then a familiar voice was heard.

"You will pay for denying me my queen! I, Rikuo Albath, King of Atlantis, shall have my revenge!"

At that moment, the Talbains learned that the insane merman was at the helm of a Nazi war machine.

"_HOW THE HELL DID HE GET A U-BOAT?_" Matthew exclaimed as he began to track the German sub.

"I'm guessing that in World War II that U-boat must have strayed too close to the outer borders of Atlantis, and was automatically sunk due to the protection field." Jon hypothesized as he began taking the Sea Wolf II through evasive maneuvers. "Rikuo's people must have salvaged the sub."

"How could it withstand the pressure down here? It doesn't have an orichalcum hull or titanium infrastructure. Heck, it shouldn't even be moving!"

"Judging from the energy readings I'm detecting, I'm also guessing he's using special Makai Aqua Stones to strengthen the sub's structure and power its electric batteries. He must have also put in an autoloader and uh oh!" Jon then put his sub into a violent turn to avoid a pair of torpedoes launched from the U-boat. The underwater projectiles streaked passed the werewolf's vessel and blasted into a large crevasse, causing the huge area to collapse.

"And I think it's obvious that he's enhanced the torpedoes! Those things are hitting with a lot more power!"

The Sea Wolf II made another series of turns as Jon spoke on the radio to convince the merman to stop his insanity. He refrained from firing back as he didn't want to kill the misguided king of Atlantis.

"Rikuo! Don't do this! We can still help you!"

"_NO ONE CAN HELP ME!_" Rikuo screamed. "_I AM THE LAST OF MY KIND!_"

Another torpedo was fired and this time, Jon couldn't move his submarine out of its way. It struck hard on near the center of the ship, causing it to shudder violently. That's when Matthew's control panel lit up.

"Dad! We've got a breach in the hull!"

"_SAY WHAT?_"

"I don't know what that torpedo was packing, but it actually punched through the orichalcum! We're taking on water!"

* * *

In the damaged section, the gremlins immediately began patching up the hole before the sub became filled with water.

"_FIX NOW! STOP WET STUFF!_"

Glitch ordered Boo-Boo, Hitch and Jinx to fill up the gap with whatever material they could find. Once they filled in the hole, he and Snafu began sealing up the cracks by using their powers to weld and glue the pieces together. Once the water stopped flowing, the lead gremlin turned on the intercom to communicate to the bridge.

"Hole patched up! No more boom-boom okay?"

* * *

On the bridge, Jon made one final attempt to convince Rikuo to halt his attack.

"Rikuo, please! I don't want to hurt you! Stop this madness now!"

The merman's only reply was another salvo of four torpedoes. Jon let out a sigh and shook his head in resignation. He had no choice now.

"So be it. Farewell... King of Atlantis my friend."

As the torpedoes neared the Sea Wolf II, Jon activated the countermeasures, sending out an ultrasonic pulse, which caused the projectiles to detonate prematurely. The explosions also hid the submarine from Rikuo's sight, so he was unprepared when his opponent launched a dozen mini-torpedoes toward the obsolete U-boat.

The last of the Atlantean mermen let out one final scream as Jon's counterattack struck on several areas of the German submarine, causing it to nearly split in half. The Makai Aqua Stones may have allowed the ship to withstand the high water pressure, but they were nowhere near as strong as orichalcum. As the wreck sank down toward the entrance to Atlantis, its main power source began to overload toward critical mass. Just as the sub hit the ocean floor, its main drive detonated.

A massive shockwave rippled throughout that area in the Atlantic Ocean, causing the canyon walls to collapse. The waves thundered through the maze of caverns, then struck Atlantis itself. For over ten thousand years, the legendary Kingdom of Atlantis had withstood the test of time. Now the end finally came as every last building and structure was reduced to rubble. Even the palace was not spared as it was broken apart, all due to the folly of its last ruler.

Atlantis was wiped out from the pages of history.

* * *

Later that evening

The Sea Wolf II cruised on the surface of the ocean as it made its way back to Castle Talbain. Jon wasn't afraid of being detected since the orichalcum hull also made the sub invisible to surface radar. Swimming behind it was Bob as the Loch Ness Monster let off a series of moans and high-pitched sounds.

With the apparent death of the last Atlantean Merman, it was the Leviathans' duty to spread the word of his passing to all the other citizens of Poseidon. As such, Bob and his brethren scattered themselves throughout the oceans to give the bad news to those who dwell in the deep.

Jon let off a tired sigh as he sat on the deck of the conning tower outside of the sub. He had the vessel on autopilot, as he wanted to watch the night skies. He was currently in his hybrid form. Down below, Nabiki and Matthew were having dinner in the galley.

An hour later, his ears twitched as he heard someone climbing the ladder toward the entrance hatch. He nodded as Kalesse came up onto the deck and sat down beside him to look up at the stars.

"I thought I'd find you here, Jon." The undine said. "How are you feeling?"

Matthew's father let out a long sigh and replied. "It didn't have to end like that. We could have helped him!"

"I know, but he didn't leave us with much of a choice. I'll admit that deep down, he wasn't really a bad sort, but that obsession of his clouded his judgment."

"It's my duty to see that the Old Races gets the chance to prosper in the human world. I felt like I was betraying that duty when I fired those torpedoes. I denied Rikuo that chance."

"You _OFFERED_ that chance to him many times." Kalesse pointed out. "Time and time again, you showed him that you wanted to help, and he always refused. We all make our own decisions, and Rikuo just made a bad one."

"I know. I just didn't think our quest would have something this tragic happen. And I'm starting to wonder if more tragedy awaits us."

* * *

Out in distant space

The being known as Pyron continued to streak across the cosmos, leaving several dozens of solar systems in ruins. The civilizations that he had sent into extinction were not much of a challenge and he hoped the signal he had received from Earth would provide him with more amusement before he obliterated whatever resided there.

Armageddon was approaching humankind.

To be continued

Author's Notes

As much as I like Rikuo's character in the Darkstalkers videogame, this spells the end for him in this story for now. In any case, this quest needed a bit of doom and gloom to make it more substantial once Nabiki and Matthew collect all the pieces. Next stop, America and a certain catwoman returns! As for the plight of the Tendos and Genma, we'll see if Cologne and Shampoo can get rid of that smell, or if Akane can make things worse, (hint, hint). See you then!

(1) Aphrodite (Greek) or Venus (Roman); the goddess of beauty and love. Artemis (Greek) or (Diana); the goddess of the hunt.

(2) This phrase was used a LOT in the American version of Darkstalkers to describe Rikuo, and could explain a bit for his arrogance.

(3) I got this from Dragonball Z when Super-Saiyan Goku slapped Frieza silly and King Kai cheered him on.

(incomplete)


End file.
